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Somerville's  History. 


CHARLES  D.l  ELLIOT 


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SOMERVILLE'S 
s  HISTORY.  ^ 

By  CHARLES  a  ELLIOT, 


SOMERVILLE,  MASS. 
J896. 


PRINTED   FROM  THE 

ILLUSTRATED  SOUVENIR  OF  THE  CITY  OF  SOMERVILLE.' 

BY  PERMISSION  OF 

Edward  A.  Samuels  and  Henry  H.  Kimball,  A.  M. 
1896. 


snE4 


SOMERVILLE'S  HISTORY, 

By  CHARLES  D.    ELLIOT. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Origin  and  Settlement.  —  Grants,  Etc.  —  Deed  from  Web-Cowet  and  Squaw- 
Sachem. —  Early  Topography. — First  Settlers.  —  Governor  Winthrop's  Ten 
Hills  Farm. 

SoMERViLLE  was  formerly  a  part  of  Charlestown,  that  honored  ancestor 
of  the  towns  of  the  Mystic  valley,  —  and  whose  bounds  originally  ran 
"eight  miles  into  the  country  from  their  meeting  house,"  and  included 
Woburn,  Stoneham,  Winchester,  Burlington,  a  part  of  Arlington  and  Med- 
ford,  Somerville,  Maiden,  Everett  and  the  Bunker  Hill  peninsula,  and  whose 
early  history  is  the  heritage  of  each. 

New  towns  one  after  another  were  broken  off  from  the  old,  the  last 
being  Somerville  in  1842,  and  in  this  account  the  name  Somerville  is  used 
in  narrating  the  events  which  have  occurred  within  its  limits,  since  its  first 
settlement. 

The  title  of  the  white  man,  whether  Spanish,  French,  Dutch,  or  Eng 
lish,  to  the  home  of  the  Indian,  rested  usually  in  a  royal  grant ;  "  by  turf 
and  by  twig,"  and  in  the  name  of  their  king  and  religion  they  took  posses- 
sion, seldom  consulting  the  aboriginal  owner. 

The  title  to  the  territory  of  Somerville  has  this  royal  authority  and 
more.  First,  in  the  grant  of  James  I  to  the  Plymouth  Council  of  all  lands 
between  40°  and  48°  N.  latitude  from  sea  to  sea. 

Second,  by  grant  of  the  Plymouth  Council,  March  19,  1628,  to  the 
Massachusetts  Bay  Company. 

Third,  by  royal  charter,  March  4,  1629,  to  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Com- 
pany, which  confirmed  the  grant  of  1628 ;  and  fourth,  a  title  not  every 
colony  can  claim,  a  deed  from  an  Indian  sovereign,  "  Squa-Sachem." 

Other  grants  covered  the  territory  and  caused  much  trouble. 

The  Plymouth  people  had  already,  in  1622,  granted  ten  miles  along  the 
shore  and  thirty  miles  inland,  to  Robert  Gorges ;  he  dying,  his  brother  John, 
in  1624,  leased  to  John  Oldham  and  John  Dorrill  all  land  between  the 
Charles  and  Saugus  Rivers,  for  five  miles  up  the  Charles,  and  three  up  the 
Saugus.  And  again  John  Gorges,  in  1628,  deeded  to  Sir  William  Brereton 
all  the  land  between  Charles  River  and  Nahant,  for  twenty  miles  inland. 

M5i9727 


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4  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

But  little  came  of  these  later  grants,  unless  possibly  Blackstone,  the  first 
settler  of  Boston,  and  Thomas  Walford,  the  first  settler  of  Charlestown  (on 
the  pt  linsula),  claimed  under  them. 

These  conflicting  grants  caused  the  Bay  Company  to  strengthen  their 
claim  by  actual  occupation,  and  they  accordingly  sent  settlers  to  several 
localities  within  the  disputed  territory,  Charlestown  being  one. 

Among  the  instructions  from  the  Company,  written  from  England  in 
1629,  to  Mr.  Endicott,  is  the  following:  — 

"  If  any  of  the  Salvages  pretend  right  of  inheritance  to  all  or  any  part 
of  the  lands  granted  in  our  patent,  we  pray  you  to  endeavour  to  purchase 
their  title,  that  we  may  avoid  the  least  scruple  of  intrusion."  Under  these 
instructions  several  deeds  from  the  Indians  were  secured,  the  one  covering 
Somerville  land  being  from  Squa-Sachem,  who  on  the  recent  death  of  her 
husband  became  chief  of  her  tribe. 

The  deed  begins  as  follows :  — 

"The  15th  of  the  2d  Mo.  1639. 

"  Wee,  Web-Cowet,  and  Squaw  Sachem  do  sell  vnto  the  Inhabitants  of 
the  Towne  of  Charlestown  all  the  land  within  the  lines  granted  them  by 
the  court,"  and  closes  with  "wee  acknowledge  to  have  received  in  full  sat- 
isfaction, twenty  and  one  coates,  ninten  fathoms  of  wampum,  and  three 
bushels  of  corne." 

"  In  witness  whereof  we  have  here  vnto  sett  our  hands  the  day  and 
yeare  above  named." 

Early  Descriptions  and  Topography. 

Descriptions  of  this  part  of  the  country  sent  to  England  by  the  early 
comers,  often  read  like  advertisements  of  modern  Eldorados.  They  were 
generally  directed  to  intending  settlers,  and  usually  with  the  desired  effect : 
after  reading  they  emigrated ;  for  health  and  plenty  stood  on  the  shore,  and 
with  open  arms  welcomed  each  new  arrival.  The  sea,  the  rivers,  the  woods, 
and  the  fields  were  great  natural  store-houses,  stocked  abundantly  with  fish 
and  fowl,  furs  and  fuel,  fruits  and  flowers ;  the  air  and  water  were  the 
purest;  "New  England's  air  was  better  than  old  England's  ale,"  and  as 
one  writer  said,  "We  are  all  freeholders,  the  rent  day  doth  not  trouble  us." 

If  all  that  was  written  were  true,  this  must  have  been  a  paradise  to  the 
sportsman,  farmer,  and  lover  of  nature. 

Yet  there  was  much  that  was  true  in  their  high-colored,  curious  de- 
scriptions. 

Mr.  Graves,  the  earliest  civil  engineer  in  Charlestown,  writing  in  1629 
or  1630,  thus  describes  the  topography  of  this  section :  "  It  is  very  beautiful 
in  open  lands,  mixed  with  goodly  woods,  and  again  open  plains,  in  some 
places  five  hundred  acres,  some  places  more,  some  less,  not  much  trouble- 
some for  to  clear  for  the  plough  to  go  in  ;  no  place  barren  but  on  the  tops 
of  the  hills.  The  grass  and  weeds  grow  up  to  a  man's  face  in  the  lowlands, 
and  by  fresh  rivers  abundance  of  grass  and  large  meadows,  without  any 
tree  or  shrub  to  hinder  the  scythe." 


SOMERV/LLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT.  5 

The  peninsulas  of  Charlestown  and  Boston,  when  settled,  were  much 
alike  in  shape.  From  the  mainlands  on  either  side  they  reached  out  toward 
each  other  and  shut  in  the  great  basin  of  Back  Bay.  They  were  attached 
to  the  mainland  by  low,  narrow  necks,  which  being  overflowed,  made  each 
an  island  at  highest  tides. 

From  Charlestown  neck,  the  marshes  extended  to  the  shores  of  Miller's 
and  Mystic  Rivers,  and  from  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill  round  to  the  foot  of 
Convent  and  Winter  Hills ;  Asylum  Hill  was  a  peninsula  at  high  tide. 

Several  creeks  and  brooks  now  mostly  extinct,  meandered  from  the 
higher  land,  across  these  marshes  to  the  adjacent  rivers.  Chief  of  these 
was  Miller's,  first  known  as  Gibones'  River  from  Captain  Edward  Gibones 
who  lived  on  its  shores,  probably  near  Cobble  Hill.  A  later  name  for  this 
was  Willis'  Creek,  or  Wills'  Creek;  and  one  French  translation  makes  it 
"  Crique  de  Vills."  It  was  probably  called  Miller's  River,  and  Cobble  Hill, 
Miller's  Hill  after  Thomas  Miller,  who  owned  land  in  that  locality. 

This  rivulet  had  its  source  in  old  Cambridge,  South  of  Kirkland  Street; 
thence  in  earlier  days  it  flowed,  a  pellucid  stream  through  sandy  upland, 
and  sedgy  meadow,  to  its  mouth  near  the  Charles. 

A  branch  of  Miller's  River  began  its  course  not  far  from  the  Old  Folks' 
Home  on  Highland  Avenue,  crossing  Central  Street  near  Cambria,  and 
School  Street  near  Summer,  joining  the  main  stream  not  far  from  Union 
Square. 

East  of  Miller's  River,  and  flowing  into  the  same  great  Charles  River  or 
Back  Bay  basin,  was  Crasswell  Brook,  named  after  one  of  the  early  owners ; 
its  outlet  still  exists,  and  forms  part  of  the  city  boundary ;  a  ditch  through 
the  McLean  Asylum  grounds  marks  approximately  a  part  of  its  old  course. 
Washington  Street  bridged  it,  and  its  source  was  probably  not  far  from  the 
junction  of  Cross  and  Oliver  Streets.  Passing  over  "the  Neck"  we  come 
to  Mystic  River,  into  which  five  streams  poured  their  constant  tribute.  The 
first,  opposite  Convent  Hill,  was  perhaps  never  named,  and  was  possibly  of 
no  great  length  or  importance.  The  next  was  probably  the  "Winthrop 
Creek  "  of  the  old  records,  named  for  the  Governor  and  more  recently  known 
as  Bachellor's  Creek.  It  marked  the  easterly  boundary  of  the  grant  of  Ten 
Hills  Farm  to  him.  Its  source  was  not  far  from  Oilman  Square ;  it  wound 
its  way  easterly,  crossing  Broadway  near  Walnut  Street,  and  thence  across 
the  Park  and  through  the  marshes  to  the  river ;  all  west  of  Middlesex 
Avenue  is  now  filled.  Following  up  the  shore  to  where  the  new  Trotting 
Park  now  is,  we  come  to  Winter  Brook ;  like  the  hill,  called  so,  no  man  now 
knows  why ;  its  source  was  in  Polly  Swamp,  not  far  from  the  junction  of 
Lowell  and  Albion  Streets ;  thence  it  flowed  northeasterly,  crossing  Broad- 
way near  the  railroad  bridge,  and  Medford  Street  (in  Medford)  just  north- 
west of  its  junction  with  Main  Street,  probably  where  the  present  water- 
course, its  successor,  is  bridged. 

Further  on  was  Two-Penny  Brook ;  I  might  have  said  is,  if  a  sedgy 
ditch  cut  to  straight  lines,  can  be  called  a  brook ;  it  rose  near  the  old  school 
on  Broadway,  opposite  the  Simpson  estate,  flowing  through  the  College  and 


6  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Robinson  estates,  under  the  Lowell  Railroad,  along  the  easterly  border  of 
the  brickyards,  to  the  river ;  forks  of  each  of  these  brooks  started  near  the 
foot  of  Powder  House  Hill.  The  fifth  stream  was  Alewife  Brook,  our 
western  boundary,  then  called  by  its  Indian  name,  "Menotomy"  River. 
This  name  has  many  spellings  in  ye  ancient  record,  one  or  two  of  which 
commenced  with  a  "W."  It  has  also  been  known  as  "Little"  River. 
This  is  the  outlet  of  Fresh  Pond,  and  there  is  much  of  interest  connected 
with  it.  Into  Alewife  Brook  ran  another,  from  near  Davis  Square,  westerly 
into  Cambridge,  entering  Alewife  Brook  near  the  former  tanneries  on  North 
Avenue,  whence  in  later  times  it  has  been  called  Tannery  Brook;  the 
Somerville  part  of  it  is  now  a  covered  drain. 

The  hills  of  those  old  days  are  fast  disappearing  as  well  as  the  rivers, 
both  in  name  and  substance.  Within  a  year  or  two  the  "  high  fielde  "  of 
the  original  settlers,  the  "ploughed  hill "  of  the  Revolution,  better  known  in 
our  day  as  "  Nunnery  "  or  "  Convent  Hill "  or  "  Mount  Benedict,"  will  be  a 
memory  only.  Asylum  Hill,  which  was  the  Miller's  Hill,  or  Cobble  Hill  of 
a  hundred  years  or  more  ago,  has  the  seal  of  destruction  set  upon  it.  The 
historic  heights  of  Prospect  Hill,  the  Mount  Pisgah  of  the  Revolution,  have 
long  since  gone  to  bury  the  less  historic  shores  of  Miller's  River. 

Winthrop  Hill,  on  the  Ten  Hills  Farm,  and  the  other  eminences  near  it, 
are  but  scarred  relics  of  their  former  picturesque  beauty.  Winter  Hill, 
strange  to  say,  so  far  as  is  known,  has  suffered  no  change  since  "  long  ago," 
either  in  height,  contour  or  name ;  like  Winter  Brook,  the  origin  of  its  name 
is  in  obscurity ;  whether  named  for  a  person,  or  a  season,  is  an  enigma. 

Walnut  Tree  Hill,  now  College  Hill,  has  probably  seen  little  change  in 
shape  since  the  Indian  roamed  over  it.  Wild  Cat  Hill,  on  the  borders  of 
Alewife  Brook,  from  the  remotest  day  until  recently,  has  remained  to  thrill 
the  mind  with  the  possible  cause  for  its  name  ;  but  now  it  is  degraded  to  a 
city  gravel-bank,  and  will  soon  be  gone. 

Quarry  Hill,  smooth  and  polished,  with  little  left  of  its  antique  charm, 
yet  remains  crowned  by  its  old  tower,  which,  though  architecturally  modern- 
ized with  cut  stone  archway  and  window,  is  still  a  historic  inspiration. 

Strawberry  Hill,  where  is  and  where  was  it  ?  Possibly  and  probably,  if 
old  records  are  correct,  in  which  there  is  but  one  mention  of  it,  east  of 
Beacon  Street  and  north  of  Washington  Street,  a  part  of  it  still  remaining 
on  the  Norton's  Grove  estate  in  Cambridge.  Spring  Hill  in  name  is  recent, 
probably,  and  in  shape  much  as  of  yore,  as  is  Central  Hill,  which  on  some 
old  Revolutionary  maps  is  styled  "  Middle  Hill." 

In  the  foregoing,  the  endeavor  has  been  made  to  retrace  the  natural 
features  of  the  town,  and  the  old  naming  with  which  the  earlier  residents 
were  familiar,  as  well  as  that  of  more  recent  times. 


First  Settlers. 

Probably  the  first  white  men  who  wandered  over  Somerville  soil  were 
Standish  and  his  exploring  party  from  Plymouth  in  1621. 

Seven  years  later  came  a  party  of  settlers  from  Salem,  prospecting  for 


SOMERV/LLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  y 

a  place  to  locate  in.  These  were  "Ralph  Sprague  with  his  bretheren 
Richard  and  William,  who  with  three  or  four  more  "  .  .  .  "  did  in  the  sum- 
mer of  anno  1628,  undertake  a  journey  from  Salem,  and  travelled  the  woods 
above  twelve  miles  to  the  westward,  and  lighted  of  a  place  situated  and 
lying  on  the  north  side  of  Charles  river,  full  of  Indians  called  Aberginians," 
..."  and  upon  surveying,  they  found  it  was  a  neck  of  land,  generally  full 
of  stately  timber,  as  was  the  main,  and  the  land  lying  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  called  Mystick  river."  Here  on  the  peninsula  they  settled  and 
built,  and  others  came  soon  after.  In  1629,  "  it  was  jointly  agreed  and 
concluded,  that  this  place  on  the  north  side  of  Charles  river,  by  the  natives 
called  Mishawum,  shall  henceforth,  from  the  name  of  the  river,  be  called 
Charlestown  " ;  and  in  this  connection  it  may  be  of  interest  to  recall  that 
the  river  was  named  by  Captain  John  Smith,  in  1614,  after  H.  R.  H. 
Charles,  Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  Charles  I,  who.  Smith  says,  "did 
change  the  barbarous  names  of  their  principall  Harbours  and  habitations, 
for  such  English,  that  posterity  may  say  King  Charles  was  their  Godfather." 
Among  the  first  of  the  Charlestown  settlers  to  locate  on  Somerville  territory 
were  John  Woolrich,  Captain Norton,  Edward  Gibones,  Mr.  William  Jen- 
nings and  John  Wignall ;  followed  a  little  later  by  Richard  Palsgrave, 
Edward  Jones  and  others,  and  by  the  Governor,  John  Winthrop,  in  1631. 

It  may  be  proper  here  to  give  a  sketch  of  these  pioneers  of  our  town. 

John  Woolrich  or  Wolrich  was  an  Indian  trader ;  he  "  built  and  fenced 
a  mile  and  a  half  without  ye  necke  of  land  in  ye  maine,  on  ye  right  hand  of 
ye  way  to  Newe  Towne,"  which  would  be  somewhere  on  the  northerly  side 
of  Washington  Street,  beyond  the  Fitchburg  Railroad  bridge;  perhaps 
not  far  from  Dane  Street.  He  was  prominent  in  affairs,  and  was  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  General  Court  in  1634. 

Of  Captain  Norton,  accounts  are  somewhat  conflicting :  in  one  reference 
he  is  called  John,  in  another  Francis ;  one  record  is  that  he  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  in  1633,  another  makes  him  join  the  church  in  1642,  marry  in  1649, 
and  die  in  1667.    There  may  have  been  two  Captain  Nortons. 

Major-General  Edward  Gibones,  the  most  distinguished  of  our  early 
citizens,  excepting  Governor  Winthrop,  was  a  young  man  recently  converted 
and  admitted  to  the  church ;  he  ultimately  rose  to  the  rank  of  Major-Gen- 
eral in  the  militia,  being  "  a  man  of  resolute  spirit "  and  "  bold  as  a  lion." 
He  represented  Charlestown  in  the  General  Court,  in  1635  and  1636,  and 
died  in  1654. 

Of  William  Jennings  and  John  Wignall  but  little  is  recorded. 

Richard  Palsgrave  was  the  first  physician  of  Charlestown,  living  in  the 
town  several  years,  and  died  about  1656. 

Edward  Jones  was  an  inhabitant  in  1630,  and  removed  to  Long  Island 
in  1644. 

Palsgrave  and  Jones  each  built  three-quarters  of  a  mile  beyond  the 
neck, on  the  northerly  side  of  Washington  Street,  "right  before  the  marsh," 
probably  opposite  the  Asylum  grounds. 

John  Winthrop,  the  first  Governor  of  the  Massachusetts  company  that 


8 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


came  over  here  (Craddock  never  came),  was  granted  the  Ten  Hills  Farm 
of  six  hundred  acres  in  163 1  ;  it  extended  from  the  Craddock  Bridge,  near 
Medford  Centre,  along  the  Mystic  River  to  near  Convent  Hill,  and  em- 
braced all  the  land  between  Broadway,  Medford  Street  and  the  River. 
This  was  the  Governor's  farm  where  he  built,  lived,  planted,  raised  cattle, 
and  launched  the  first  ship  in  Massachusetts,  the  "  Blessing  of  the  Bay," 
July  4,  1 63 1.  Governor  Winthrop  was  the  ancestor  of  the  late  Hon. 
Robert  C.  Winthrop.  He  was  a  man  of  liberal  education  and  sterling 
worth,  a  devout  Christian  and  an  honor  to  the  Colony ;  he  died  in  1649. 


CHAPTER  II. 

From  Settlement  to  the  Revolution. 

Early  Events.  —  Pasturing  and  Herding.  —  Characteristics  of  Early  Immigrants. — 
Machinery  of  Primitive  Industries  Set  in  Motion.  —  Establishment  of  Town 
Government  of  Charlestown.  —  Municipal  Regulations.  —  Persons  non  Grat^. 
—  First  Highways. — The  Stinted  Common.  —  Churches  and  Schools.  —  Peti- 
tion OF  Ezekiel  Cheever. — The  First  Town  School.  —  Military  Organizations 
AND  Fortifications.  —  King  Philip's  War.  —  Indian  Allies. 


Charlestown's  settlers  in  1629  were  in  all  ten  families,  not  including 
Thomas  Walford  and  wife,  whom  they  found  already  there  living  in  "  his 
pallisadoed  and  thatched  house,"  and  not  including  servants  of  the  Bay 
Company. 

Their  first  winter  was  full  of  discouragement;  provisions  were  gone 
and  disease  so  prevalent  that  "  almost  in  every  family  lamentation,  mourn- 
ing and  woe  were  heard  "  ;  "  many  perished  and  died."  Added  to  this,  the 
water  became  bad  and  brackish,  and  Indians  threatening;  many  left 
Charlestown  and  removed  to  Boston,  where  the  water  was  better.  The 
arrival  of  Capt.  Pearce  with  a  shipload  of  provisions,  however,  inspirited 
them  anew,  and  was  hailed  with  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving. 

The  first  inhabitants  built  around  Town  Hill,  now  Bow  Street,  near 
Charlestown  City  Square.  They  were  allotted  grounds  for  planting  on 
other  parts  of  the  peninsula,  which  they  were  required  to  fence ;  but  the 
grazing  ground  for  their  cattle  was  here  in  Somerville,  or  "without  the 
neck,"  and  Somerville  was  in  those  early  times  known  as  the  "  Cow  Com- 
mons," and  later,  as  the  "  Stinted  Pasture."  The  rights  of  pasturage  were 
apportioned  among  the  citizens  in  1656,  and  perhaps  before. 

A  herdsman,  as  early  as  1632,  was  appointed  to  "  Keepe  the  Milch 
Cattle  of  this  Towne,  in  a  herd  without  the  necke  of  land  upon  ye  maine 
till  the  end  of  Harvest,  and  hee  is  to  drive  them  forth  every  morning  and 
bring  them  into  Towne  every  evening."  The  herdsman  sounded  his  horn 
from  Town  Hill  each  morning,  to  call  the  cattle  together,  in  readiness  for 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  9 

pasture.  In  1633,  the  salary  for  this  official  was  "fifty  bushels  of  Indian 
corne." 

A  fence  with  a  gate  was  early  ordered  and  built  across  the  Neck,  from 
Mystic  River  to  Charles  River  basin,  to  keep  these  cattle,  and  perhaps  wild 
beasts,  from  straying  into  the  town ;  for  wolves  were  common  then,  and 
bounties  given  for  their  destruction. 

In  the  course  of  time,  about  the  whole  of  Somerville  was  enclosed  with 
fencing;  fencing  or  "paling,"  as  it  was  called,  extending  all  along  the  Cam- 
bridge line,  and  between  the  common  pasture  and  the  Ten  Hills  Farm,  with 
gates  at  the  highways. 

In  speaking  of  highways  it  is  but  natural  again  to  recall  the  first  engi- 
neer in  these  parts,  Mr.  Thomas  Graves,  who  came  in  1629,  and  who,  it  is 
supposed,  laid  out  all  earlier  streets,  and  other  works  of  improvement  in 
Charlestown.  It  is  claimed  that  he  was  the  (afterwards)  noted  Admiral 
Thomas  Graves  of  the  EngHsh  Navy. 

It  is  quite  fair  to  presume  that  he  traced  the  routes  for  our  infant 
thoroughfares,  Washington  Street  and  Broadway. 

Those  early  emigrants  were  a  sturdy,  tireless  race ;  their  energy  knew 
no  obstacle.  Roads  were  laid  out,  watering  places  located,  landings  built, 
bridges  thrown  over  streams,  and,  where  too  wide  for  bridges,  ferries  estab- 
lished. 

Those  to  Boston  and  to  Maiden  (the  latter  called  "  Two  penny  ferry  ") 
remained  until  after  the  Revolution,  the  only  direct  means  of  communication 
between  those  places. 

All  kinds  of  business  and  trades  were  soon  started,  mills  built,  one 
at  Charlestown  Neck  opposite  Miller's  River  as  early  as  1645,  li"^^  kilns  set 
up,  fish-weirs  established,  ledges  opened,  and  all  the  primitive  machinery 
of  industry  set  in  motion. 

Among  the  various  trades  and  callings  found  here  in  Charlestown  be- 
tween 1630  and  1650  were  the  following:  cutting  of  posts,  clapboards  and 
shingles ;  raising  of  horses  for  export ;  farming ;  fishing  of  various  kinds, 
especially  for  alewives,  oysters,  and  lobsters,  which  were  abundant  in  these 
waters  —  lobsters  of  twenty-five  pounds  weight  being  mentioned;  rope  and 
anchor  making ;  coopering ;  tile  making ;  brewing ;  salt  manufacturing  ;  car- 
pentering; ship  building;  wheelwright  work;  pottery;  charcoal  burning; 
and  various  kinds  of  mill  work,  there  being  in  1645  i^  Charlestown  wind, 
stream,  and  tide  mills. 

A  town  government  was  very  early  organized,  and  local  laws  enacted, 
controlling  church,  school,  and  military  matters,  as  well  as  civil  and  crim- 
inal. The  town  officers  were  the  "  Seven  men  "  or  Selectmen,  Constables, 
Highway  Surveyors,  Town  Clerk,  Herdsman,  Overseers  of  the  fields,  and 
Chimney  Sweepers,  and  later  on.  Town  Treasurer,  Town  Messenger,  In- 
spector of  youth,  Tythingmen,  Surveyors  of  damnified  goods.  Clerks  of  the 
market,  Packer  of  fish  and  flesh,  Corder  of  wood.  Culler  of  staves.  Sealers 
of  hides  and  leather,  Measurers  of  lumber.  Cullers  of  fish,  and  Measurers 
of  salt  and  coal. 


lO  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

The  freemen  of  the  town  could  vote  for  Governor  and  Deputy,  and  for 
Major-General,  Representatives,  Grand  Jury,  and  also  for  Assistants  or 
Mag'strates;  in  electing  the  latter,  corn  and  beans  were  used,  corn  for 
"  yes,"  beans  for  "  no."    The  penalty  for  fraud  in  voting  was  £\o. 

Among  the  wholesome  regulations  were  those  guarding  against  fires : 
they  required  every  house  to  be  provided  with  ladders,  and  to  be  statedly 
inspected,  and  every  chimney  to  be  swept  once  a  month  in  winter,  and  once 
every  two  months  in  summer.  A  blazing  chimney  brought  a  fine  on  the 
tenant. 

All  children  must  be  educated  and  "  catechised,"  for  neglect  of  which 
their  parents  answered  in  court. 

Sabbath-breakers,  tipplers,  and  gamblers  were  sharply  watched,  and 
severely  punished.  One  woman,  for  instance,  was  heavily  fined  for  washing 
clothes  on  Sunday. 

Strangers  in  town  were  "personae  non  gratae,"  and  had  speedily  to 
account  for  themselves.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  "  marke  such  trees 
for  shade  by  the  Highwa[ies]  and  watering  places  as  in  theire  discretion 
shall  bee  thought  mete ; "  fine  for  cutting  these,  five  shillings,  and  a  special 
order  was  also  made  that  no  tree  "  under  any  pretence  whatsoever  "  should 
be  cut  outside  the  Neck  without  the  knowledge  of  the  Selectmen. 

As  already  stated,  several  of  the  settlers  had,  as  early  as  1629  or  1630, 
located,  built,  and  planted,  here  in  Somerville,  and  in  the  year  1633  the 
town  gave  liberty  to  any  of  its  inhabitants  to  build  outside  the  Neck,  pro- 
vided, etc.,  that  it  "  bee  not  a  shortening  of  the  privileges  of  the  Towne,"  and 
in  1634  ten  persons  were  granted  "planting  ground"  on  the  "South  side 
of  New  Towne  highway,"  forty-one  acres  in  all.  From  this  time  on,  settle- 
ments on  Somerville  land  increased,  and  the  records  show  many  transfers 
of  property  in  this  part  of  Charlestown. 

Highways. 

The  first  road  in  Somerville  was  Washington  Street,  from  the  Neck  to 
Cambridge,  described  in  1630  as  the  "Way  to  New  Towne  "  (Cambridge), 
and  in  one  place  spoken  of  as  narrow  and  crooked.  The  next  was  probably 
the  easterly  part  of  Broadway,  called  "  the  way  to  Mystick,"  connecting, 
perhaps,  as  early  as  1637,  by  trail,  or  bye  road  around  or  over  the  Ten  Hills 
Farm,  with  the  ford  and  bridge  then  built  at  Medford  Centre  over  the 
Mystic  River.  It  was  probably  many  years  afterwards  that  Broadway  was 
extended  over  Winter  Hill  to  Menotomy  (now  Arlington). 

The  Stinted  Common  was  apportioned  in  1656  among  the  citizens  of  the 
town,  and  remained  a  cow  pasture  until  1681  and  1685,  when  it  was  cut  into 
strips  one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide,  with  numbered  rangeways  between  them, 
and  granted  in  stated  lots  to  the  inhabitants  entitled  to  them. 

The  territory  thus  laid  out  extended  from  Washington  Street,  Bow 
Street  and  Somerville  Avenue,  to  Broadway,  and  from  the  present  Charles- 
town  line  to  Elm  Street.  The  first  Rangeway  is  now  Franklin  Street ;  the 
second,  Cross  Street ;  third.  Walnut ;  fourth.  School ;  fifth,  Central ;  sixth, 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  II 

Lowell;  seventh,  Cedar;  and  eighth,  Willow  Avenue.  There  were  three 
others,  running  from  Broadway  beyond  Elm  Street,  into  Medford.  The  first 
has  been  entirely  obliterated ;  the  second  is  now  Curtis  Street,  and  the 
third,  North  Street. 

Churches  and  Schools. 

Until  1632  the  good  people  of  Charlestown  sought  religious  consolation 
in  the  church  at  Boston,  but  in  this  year  they  separated  and  organized  the 
"  First  Church  of  Charlestown  " ;  their  early  meetings  were  held  "  under  the 
shade  of  a  great  oak,"  celebrated  as  the  "  Charlestown  oak"  ;  it  stood  in  or 
not  far  from  the  square ;  they  soon  purchased  the  "great  house,"  no  longer 
used  by  the  town,  and  fitted  it  up  for  a  meeting  house.  People  from  the 
remote  parts  of  the  town,  as  well  as  from  Somerville,  attended  this  church, 
among  the  number,  our  earliest  settlers,  Woolrich  and  Jones,  who  are  on 
its  membership  roll.  The  services  lasted  all  day,  beginning  at  nine  o'clock 
or  before ;  and  for  the  benefit  of  those  living  at  a  distance,  the  town  built 
small  houses  with  chimneys,  called  "  Sabbaday  houses,"  as  the  record  says, 
"  of  a  convenient  largeness  to  give  entertainment  on  the  Lord's  day  to  such 
as  live  remote,"  etc.  In  November,  1882,  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  an- 
niversary of  this  church  was  celebrated. 

It  is  probable  that,  in  earlier  days,  all  the  young  people  of  these  parts 
received  their  first  teaching  in  the  schools  of  the  peninsula,  going  and  re- 
turning over  the  Neck,  a  long  and  tedious  walk  in  winter ;  all  the  branches 
were  taught,  from  a,  b,  c's  to  Latin  grammar.  There  seems  to  have  been 
some  rivalry  then,  among  the  educators  of  the  town,  which  is  generously 
hinted  at  in  the  petition  of  Ezekiel  Cheever,  schoolmaster  of  the  town 
school,  in  1666,  to  the  Selectmen;  he  had  evidently  been  promised  that  no 
other  schoolmaster  should  set  up  in  the  town,  but  says  that  "now  Mr. 
Mansfield  is  suffered  to  teach  and  take  away  his  scholars."  The  town 
schoolhouse  of  that  day  can  well  be  pictured  from  the  records,  which  speak 
of  it  (1686)  as  twelve  feet  square,  and  eight  feet  high,  with  flattish  roof, 
turret  for  bell,  and  "  mantle-tree  "  twelve  feet  long ;  ceiled  with  brick  and 
clay,  and  built  at  a  cost  of  $90.00.  Yet  in  it  ancient  and  modern  lore  were 
for  years  successfully  dispensed. 

Military. 
The  military  prowess  of  the  pioneers  stands  out  boldly  in  their  history ; 
they  were  men  of  intelligence,  education  and  piety,  and  the  defense  of 
home,  religion  and  rights  was  first  in  their  thoughts.  They  at  once  began 
their  military  organizations  and  their  fortifications,  protections  against 
foreign  foes  as  well  as  Indians.  The  "  Castle  "  in  the  harbor,  the  Fort  on 
"  Town  Hill "  and  the  "  Half  moon  "  at  the  Neck,  all  gave  a  greater  feeling 
of  security  to  people  on  the  peninsula.  Companies  were  organized,  offi- 
cered, and  drilled,  and  in  the  various  struggles  with  the  savage  and  the 
Frenchman,  Charlestown  soldiers  bore  well  their  part.  Among  them  and 
pre-eminently  prominent  was  a  resident  of  Somerville,  Major-General 
Edward  Gibones. 


12 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


King  Philip's  war  in  particular  caused  much  suffering  and  alarm  among 
the  inhabitants ;  it  became  necessary  to  impress  men  for  the  service.  As  a 
projection  from  Indian  attack  in  1676,  it  was  proposed,  but  afterwards 
abandoned,  to  build  a  stockade  across  the  country  from  Charles  River  to 
the  Merrimac.  A  company  of  praying  Indians  was  also  organized  here  in 
Charlestown  for  this  war,  and  did  good  service. 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  trace  the  part  Somerville  settlers  bore  in  these 
various  conflicts  if  there  were  space  and  the  records  complete,  which  they 
are  not. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Advent  of  Andros  and  Consequences  to  the  Colonists.  —  Titles  to  Estates 
Imperiled. — Ten  Hills  Farm  and  its  Owners.  —  A  Favorite  Home  for 
Governors.  —  "The  Blessing  of  the  Bay"  Built  and  Launched.  —  Captain 
Robert  Temple. — Slave  Holders  in  Somerville. — The  First  Privateer  in 
America.  —  Colonel  Samuel  Jaques.  —  The  Old  Powder  House.  —  Jean  Mallet. 
—  A  Tragic  Legend. 

In  1686  the  happiness  of  the  people  was  rudely  shattered  by  a  royal 
edict,  appointing  Sir  Edmund  Andros  "  Capt.  Generall  and  Govr.  in 
Chief"  over  New  England:  it  gave  him  royal  powers  to  choose  Coun- 
cillors, make  laws,  and  assess  taxes ;  it  constituted  Andros  and  Councillors 
a  court  of  justice  for  trial  of  all  cases,  civil,  criminal,  and  of  property  rights, 
as  well  as  petty  cases ;  also  unlimited  authority  over  matters  military  and 
naval,  thus  annulling  the  charter  of  the  Bay  Company.  A  struggle  ensued 
which,  lasting  three  years,  ended  in  the  revolution  of  1689,  the  seizure 
and  imprisonment  of  Andros  and  others,  and  capture  of  the  Castle  in  Boston 
Harbor;  and  in  1692,  the  restoration  of  their  old  rights  to  the  colonists. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Andros  was  to  declare  all  previous  property 
titles  valueless ;  the  charter  had  not  been  complied  with,  "  and,  therefore, 
all  the  lands  of  New  England  have  returned  to  the  King"  ;  and  further,  it 
was  declared  that  "  wherever  an  Englishman  sets  his  foot,  all  that  he  hath 
is  the  King's."  Andros  angrily  asserted  that  "there  was  no  such  a  thing 
as  a  town  in  the  country,"  and  that  the  ancient  town  records  of  titles  were 
"not  worth  a  rush."  In  Somerville,  by  this  action,  many  estates  were 
imperiled ;  one  or  two  of  these  had  been  in  the  same  family  half  a  century. 

Some  of  the  owners  submitted  to  these  cruel  exactions,  while  others 
rebelled.  The  greatest  of  these  outrages  was  the  granting  of  the  Stinted 
Pasture  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  Charles  Lidgett,  a  follower  of  Andros,  and 
already  one  of  the  owners  of  Ten  Hills  Farm :  of  which,  however,  he  also 
received  Andros'  title  of  confirmation.  Lidgett  immediately  began  the 
prosecution  of  the  rightful  owners  of  the  pasture,  for  cutting  wood  and  for 
other  alleged  trespasses.  They  were  caused  much  annoyance  and  distress ; 
and  in  some  cases  were  fined  and  imprisoned. 

But  Lidgett's  chickens  flew  home  to  repose  :  in  1689,  with  Andros  and 
others,  he  was  seized  and  thrown  into  prison,  with  which  just  retribution 
ended  the  fraudulent  title  speculation. 


SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT.  1 3 


Ten  Hills  Farm. 

It  is  especially  notable  that  this  old  estate,  called  Ten  Hills  after  the  ten 
knolls  on  it,  should  have  kept  for  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  years  the  name 
given  it  by  its  first  owner ;  though  that  name  at  present  applies  to  only  one 
hundred  acres  or  so  of  the  original  grant. 

This  property  is  one  of  the  few  in  the  city  whose  title  can  be  clearly 
traced  in  the  records,  through  each  conveyance,  from  aboriginal  and  royal 
grants  to  the  present  time. 

Besides  being  included  in  the  deed  from  Squa-Sachem,  already  quoted, 
it  is,  of  course,  within  the  limits  of  the  royal  grant  to  Plymouth  Colony  in 
1620,  and  in  the  Plymouth  grant  and  Royal  Confirmation  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  Company  in  1628  and  1629. 

By  the  Massachusetts  Bay  Company's  Governor  and  Council  it  was 
granted  direct  to  John  VVinthrop. 

The  record  reads  :  — 

"6  Sept.,  1631  —  Granted  to  Mr.  Governor,  six  hundred  acres  of  land, 
to  be  set  forth  by  metes  and  bounds,  near  his  house  at  Mistick,  to  enjoy  to 
him  and  his  heirs  forever." 

The  claim  of  the  Andros  government,  that  none  of  the  settlers  held  any 
title  whatever  to  their  lands,  did  not  hold  good  regarding  this  estate.  It 
was  the  only  one  in  this  city,  however,  that  was  granted  by  the  Bay  Com- 
pany. 

On  the  death  of  the  Governor,  in  1649,  the  property  fell  to  his  son  John, 
Jr.,  Governor  of  Connecticut,  by  whose  executors  it  was  deeded,  in  1677,  to 
Elizabeth  Lidgett,  widow  of  Peter  Lidgett,  a  merchant  of  Boston.  She 
deeded  one-half  of  it  to  her  son  Charles,  the  same  year.  The  Lidgetts  and 
their  heirs,  among  them  the  wife  and  children  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Usher  of  New  Hampshire,  deeded  a  portion  of  it,  in  1731,  to  Sir  Isaac 
Royal,  the  most  of  which  is  in  Medford,  five  hundred  and  four  acres. 

The  remainder,  or  Somerville  portion,  two  hundred  and  fifty-one  acres, 
they  sold  to  Captain  Robert  Temple,  in  1740  ;  on  his  death,  it  fell  to  his  son 
Robert,  Jr.,  the  "  Royalist,"  who  retained  it  until  after  the^Revolution,  selling, 
in  1780,  to  Nathaniel  Tracy  of  Newbur5^ort,  and  he,  in  1785,  to  Honora- 
ble Thomas  Russell,  who  again  sold  it,  in  1 791,  to  Captain  George  Lane. 
Later  it  was  owned  by  Theodore  Lyman  ;  and  then  by  Elias  Hasket  Derby 
of  Salem;  afterwards  it  became  the  property  of  Colonel  Samuel  Jaques, 
then  of  Samuel  Oakman,  and  finally  of  the  present  owners,  the  heirs  of 
Fred  Ames  and  F.  O.  Reed  and  others. 

It  is  noticeable  that  Ten  Hills,  if  not  continuously  a  gubernatorial 
demesne,  has  in  all  times  been  held  in  some  favor  by  governors  and  their 
relatives  and  associates  :  first,  Winthrop,  Governor  of  Massachusetts ;  then 
his  son.  Governor  of  Connecticut;  then  the  wife  of  Lieutenant-Governor 
Usher ;  then  by  Robert  Temple,  son  of  the  Governor  of  Nova  Scotia ;  then 
by  Robert,  Jr.,  whose  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Governor  Shirley ;  then  by 
Royal  and  Russell,  each  a  governor's  councillor ;  and  now  by  the  heirs  of 
the  brother  of  Governor  Ames. 


14  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

There  is  much  of  interest  akin  to  romance  in  the  annals  of  this  old 
property ;  and  in  the  lives  and  doings  of  its  various  owners. 

Its  first  proprietor  settled  on  it  when  it  was  in  all  its  original  wildness, 
buiit  his  house  and  barns,  planted  his  gardens  and  orchards,  raised  his 
cattle,  and  hunted  and  fished  through  its  woods  and  along  its  shores.  In 
the  record  he  kept,  he  gives  one  picture  of  his  life  here,  under  date  of 
October  ii,  1631  :  "The  Governor  being  at  his  farmhouse  in  Mistick, 
walked  out  after  supper  and  took  a  piece  in  his  hand,  supposing  he  might 
see  a  wolf  (for  they  came  daily  about  the  house  and  killed  swine  and  calves, 
etc.)  and,  being  about  half  a  mile  off,  it  grew  suddenly  dark,  so  as  in  coming 
home  he  mistook  his  path,  and  went  till  he  came  to  a  little  house  of  Saga- 
more John,  which  stood  empty.  There  he  stayed,  and  having  a  piece  of 
match  in  his  pocket  (for  he  always  carried  about  him  match  and  compass 
and  in  the  summertime  snake  weed),  he  made  a  good  fire  near  the  house, 
and  lay  down  upon  some  old  mats,  which  he  found  there,  and  so  spent  the 
night,  sometimes  walking  by  the  fire,  sometimes  singing  psalms  and  some- 
times getting  wood,  but  could  not  sleep.  It  was  (through  God's  mercy)  a 
warm  night ;  but  a  little  before  day  it  began  to  rain,  and  having  no  cloak, 
he  made  shift  by  a  long  pole  to  climb  up  into  the  house.  "  In  the  morning  " 
..."  he  returned  safe  home,  his  servants  having  walked  about,  and  shot  oif 
pieces,  and  halloed  in  the  night,  but  he  heard  them  not." 

It  was  here,  at  Ten  Hills,  that  he  built  and  launched  the  first  ship  built 
in  this  Colony,  which  records  mention  as  follows:  "July  4,  [1631].  The 
Governor  built  a  bark  at  Mistick,  which  was  launched  this  day,  and  called 
'  The  Blessing  of  the  Bay.'  " 

In  November,  1631,  his  wife  with  some  of  their  children  arrived  from 
England  in  the  ship  Lyon ;  the  event  caused  great  rejoicing.  "  The  ship 
gave  them  six  or  seven  pieces,"  "the  captains  with  their  companies  in  arms 
entertained  them  with  a  guard  and  divers  volleys  of  shot,  and  three  drakes  " 
(cannon) ;  people  from  the  near  plantations  welcomed  them  and  brought  in 
great  store  of  provisions,  "fat  hogs,  kids,  venison,  poultry,  geese,  part- 
ridges "  and  other  contributions.  "  The  like  joy  and  manifestations  of  love 
had  never  been  seen  in  New  England." 

Meanwhile  the  Governor  had  established  himself  in  Boston,  probably 
his  winter  home  at  first,  but  afterwards  his  permanent  abode ;  this  was  on 
Washington  Street  between  Spring  Lane  and  Milk  Street,  his  house,  which 
was  framed  in  Charlestown,  being  at  the  corner  of  Spring  Lane.  The  Old 
South  Church  occupies  his  front  yard,  or  "green." 

Colonel  Charles  Lidgett  has  already  been  noticed  in  the  account  of  the 
Andros  trouble. 

Captain  Robert  Temple  was  the  son  of  Thomas  Temple,  once  Governor 
of  Nova  Scotia.  Robert  Temple,  Jr.,  the  "  Royalist,"  as  he  has  been  called, 
was  brother  of  Sir  John,  first  Consul-General  from  England  to  the  United 
States,  and  uncle  of  Sir  Grenville  Temple,  both  baronets  in  England ;  Sir 
John  married  the  daughter  of  Governor  Bowdoin;  and  Robert,  Jr.,  the 
daughter  of  Governor  Shirley.  Thus  connected  with  Royalists  and  perhaps. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  1 5 

very  naturally,  not  showing  intense  enthusiasm  in  the  patriot  cause,  Temple 
was  looked  on  as  a  tory,  and  when,  in  May,  1775,  he  started  on  a  journey  to 
England,  he  was  seized  by  the  Committee  of  Safety  of  Cohasset,  and  sent  to 
Boston,  where,  after  inspecting  his  letters  and  questioning  him  personally, 
it  was  recommended  that  he  be  treated  as  "  a  friend  to  the  interests  of  this 
country,  and  the  rights  of  all  America." 

The  Temples  were  slave-holders,  though  probably  not  the  only  ones  in 
Somerville. 

It  was  during  the  occupancy  by  Temple  that  the  British  landed  at  his 
wharf  on  their  raid  to  the  Powder  House  and  Cambridge. 

Nathaniel  Tracy,  the  next  owner,  was  said  to  be  "  generous  and  patri- 
otic." He  fitted  out  the  first  privateer  in  America  during  the  Revolution,  and 
his  firm  did  a  large  business  in  that  line,  losing  many,  yet  reaping,  finally, 
a  rich  harvest. 

Thomas  Russell,  who  bought  of  Tracy,  was  a  "  merchant  prince,"  a  rep- 
resentative to  the  General  Assembly,  and  an  executive  councillor.  He  sold 
to  George  Lane,  a  sea  captain. 

Elias  Hasket  Derby,  merchant,  of  Salem,  who  owned  the  place  and 
lived  here  for  some  time,  was  a  man  of  note ;  he  was  wealthy  and  enter- 
tained sumptuously.     His  son  died  here  in  1801. 

Colonel  Samuel  Jaques,  who  made  the  "  Ten  Hills  "  famous  in  the  ear- 
lier days  of  this  century,  had  his  title  from  a  long  service  in  the  militia  and 
in  the  war  of  181 2.  His  farm  was  stocked  with  horses,  cattle,  sheep  and 
deer ;  he  had  his  pack  of  hounds,  and  that  he  was  the  famed  Nimrod  of  these 
parts,  many  a  wily  fox  could  testify. 

The  destruction  of  the  mansion  and  slave-quarters  in  1877,  and  digging 
down  of  Winthrop  Hill,  is  too  recent  to  require  further  mention.  It  is  now 
a  dismal  wreck,  let  it  be  hoped  that  the  construction  of  the  elaborate  park- 
way proposed  across  it,  and  a  more  liberal  policy  in  the  improvement  of  its 
surroundings,  will  restore  the  locality  at  no  distant  day  to  something  of  its 
former  importance  and  beauty. 

Old  Powder  House. 

Where  a  long-abandoned  ledge 

Breaks  the  brow  of  a  grass-grown  hill, 

Near  its  crumbled  and  mossy  edge 
Stands  the  old  deserted  mill. 

Like  a  sentinel  keeping  watch  and  ward  over  neighboring  fields  and 
highways,  the  old  round  tower  on  the  ancient  quarry's  brink  has  stood  for 
nearly  two  centuries.  Around  it  cluster  obscurity,  legend  and  history,  those 
charms  of  antiquity,  and  they  have  hung  over  it  a  mantle  so  attractive  as  to 
render  it  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  relics.  It  stands  on  Quarry  Hill, 
called  also  in  the  quaint  nomenclature  of  old,  "  Two  penny  brooke  quarry," 
which  winding  meadow  stream  it  overlooked. 

The  knoll,  with  its  adjacent  lands,  was  at  the  extreme  of  the  Stinted 


i6 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Pasture,  at  the  division  of  which  in  1685  it  was  allotted  to  Sergeant  Richard 
Lowden,  some  nine  or  ten  acres  in  all,  long  before  which  it  had  been  worked 
as  a  quarry.  After  Richard's  death,  his  son  and  executor  sold  the  estate  to 
Jonathan  Foskett,  and  Foskett,  in  February,  1703-4,  to  "Jean  Mallet,"  a 
shipwright,  afterwards  a  miller,  and  who  very  likely  built  the  curious  old 
mill,  though  no  record  tells  us  so.  Jean  Mallett  was  a  Huguenot,  and 
probably  came  from  France  with  many  others,  to  these  more  congenial 
shores,  shortly  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  settling 
unwisely,  to  say  the  least,  in  Worcester  County,  in  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Oxford,  then  a  border  wilderness,  but  which  these  Huguenots  soon 
turned  into  blossoming  fields  and  fruitful  gardens;  here  they  lived  in 
contentment  and  security  for  many  years,  but  in  1696  the  Indians  descended 
on  their  settlement  and  a  dreadful  massacre  ensued.  The  survivors  aban- 
doned their  plantations,  and  most  of  them  came  to  Boston ;  among  these  was 
Mallet,  who,  a  while  after,  we  find  here  in  Somerville.  Little  more  is  known 
of  him  except  that  he  died  about  1720,  leaving  the  old  stone  windmill  to  his 
son  Michael,  who  in  1747  sold  it  to  the  State  for  a  powder-magazine ;  prob- 
ably long  before  this  its  millstones  had  ceased  to  grind,  though  undoubt- 
edly for  many  long  years  the  old  miller  took  his  lawful  toll  of  "one  to 
sixteen  "  from  the  farmers  for  miles  around. 

A  tragic  legend  shrouds  the  old  mill,  told  of  a  captive  Acadian  maiden 
who,  disguised  as  a  youth,  flees  from  her  cruel  master  and  seeks  refuge 
in  the  family  of  the  old  miller;  his  rooms  are  few  and  accommodations 
scanty ;  so  the  maid  is  given  lodging  in  the  old  mill-loft,  dusty  and  dismal. 
In  the  night  comes  her  master ;  he  has  traced  her  here,  and  with  smooth 
speech  and  specious  story  induces  the  miller  to  unlock  the  mill ;  the  master 
clambers  clumsily  up  the  ladder,  reaches  the  loft  and  tries  to  seize  his 
victim;  in  the  unfamiliar  darkness  he  loses  his  foothold,  plunges  to  the 
mill  floor,  clutching  the  rope  as  he  falls.  The  great  fans  move,  the  mill- 
stone rolls  hoarsely  around,  and  soon  all  is  over.  The  exile  maiden  is  once 
more  free. 

It  is  a  curious,  grewsome  story ;  let  us  trust  that  it  is  only  a  legend. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  1 7 


CHAPTER   IV. 

The  Revolution. 

Friction  Between  the  Colonies  and  Home  Government.  —  Preparations  for  the 
Great  Struggle.  —  Seizure  of  Powder.  —  First  Hostile  Demonstration  of 
the  Revolution.  —  The  Whole  Country  in  Arms.  —  Resignation  of  Lieut.- 
Governor  Thomas  Oliver.  —  Arbitrary  Measures  of  the  British  Government. 
—  Secretion  of  Arms  and  Distribution  of  Military  Supplies  by  the  Colo- 
nists.—  Hostile  Steps  taken  by  the  British.  —  The  Patriots  Warned. — Paul 
Revere's  Ride.  —  Battle  of  Lexington.  —  Roads  in  Somerville  Traversed  by 
British  Troops.  —  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  —  Vivid  Scenes. 

The  Boston  Port  Bill,  enacted  March  31,  1774,  was  the  punishment 
inflicted  on  the  Americans  for  the  destruction  of  the  East  India  Company's 
tea ;  it  prohibited  all  commerce,  export  or  import,  with  Boston  and  Charles 
town,  and  brought  disaster  and  distress  upon  both  cities,  the  ferries  even 
being  included  in  the  embargo.  All  business  was  suspended,  and  the 
sufferings  of  both  rich  and  poor  were  great.  Neighboring  towns  came  to 
their  relief  with  food  and  fuel ;  committees  were  appointed  to  devise  reme" 
dies,  and  arrangements  made  to  quarter  the  most  needy  families  upon  other 
towns  of  the  State. 

The  friction  between  the  colonies  and  the  home  government  had  grown 
steadily  for  ten  years,  and  a  frowning  fleet  and  formidable  army,  sent  to 
enforce  various  odious  enactments,  increased  to  the  utmost  the  spirit  of 
resistance. 

The  Americans  for  a  long  time  had  been  actively  preparing  for  a 
struggle  they  believed  imminent,  and  quietly  collecting  arms,  accoutrements, 
ammunition  and  stores. 

In  this  way  it  occurred  that  the  powder  of  several  towns  was  stored  in 
the  powder  house  on  Quarry  Hill ;  fearing  for  its  safety,  in  the  summer  of 
1774,  some  of  the  towns  began  removing  it.  This  powder  and  also  that 
belonging  to  the  Province,  as  well  as  other  military  stores,  were  in  the 
custody  of  Maj.  Gen.  William  Brattle,  of  Cambridge,  and  to  him  General 
Gage  wrote,  in  August,  asking  a  return  or  schedule  of  "  the  different  sorts 
of  each."  Brattle  in  his  reply  of  August  29,  speaking  of  powder,  says  that 
that  in  the  arsenal  at  Quarry  Hill,  was  "  the  King's  powder  only."  Medford 
had  just  taken  the  last  belonging  to  any  of  the  towns. 

On  August  3 1 ,  Sheriff  Phipps  called  upon  Brattle,  with  orders  for  the 
remaining  powder  and  for  two  cannon  at  Cambridge ;  in  compliance  Brattle 


1 8  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

delivered  up  the  key  of  the  powder  house,  and  ordered  Mr.  Mason,  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  cannon,  to  deliver  them  also. 

On  the  next  day,  September  i,  1774,  occurred  the  first  hostile  demon- 
stration of  the  Revolution ;  by  a  miracle,  almost,  it  ended  without  bloodshed. 
It  is  described  in  the  news  of  the  day  as  follows  :  — 

"  On  Thursday  Morning  [  Sept.  i  ],  half  after  four,  about  260  Troops 
embarked  on  board  13  Boats  at  the  Long  Wharf,  and  proceeded  up  Mystic 
River  to  Temple's  Farm,  where  they  landed,  and  went  to  the  Powder- 
House  on  Quarry  Hill,  in  Charlestown  Bounds,  whence  they  took  212  Half 
Barrels  of  Powder,  the  whole  store  there,  and  conveyed  it  to  Castle 
WiUiam."  ..."  A  detachment  from  this  corps  went  to  Cambridge  and 
brought  off  two  field  pieces,  which  had  lately  been  sent  there  for  Col. 
Brattle's  regiment." 

Another  account  says  that  "  250  "  half-barrels  of  powder  were  taken. 

These  troops  were  under  the  command  of  Lt.  Col.  Madison,  and  in 
Boston  it  was  believed  that  they  had  gone  out  to  capture  the  Committee  of 
Conference  at  Salem,  who  were  promptly  notified ;  but  when  their  actual 
destination  was  discovered,  the  alarm  spread  like  wild-fire  throughout  the 
country,  to  the  north,  west  and  south,  even  to  Pennsylvania. 

Before  night  there  was  a  general  uprising  of  the  militia  of  the  State, 
and  the  next  day,  along  the  roads  in  all  directions,  were  squads  of  men 
marching  towards  Cambridge,  ready  to  repel  the  invaders. 

As  was  natural,  the  news  of  the  raid  was  heightened  by  sensational 
accounts  of  fighting  and  bloodshed.  Boston  had  been  bombarded  by  the 
fleet,  and  Americans  killed  and  wounded. 

It  was  estimated  that  fifty  thousand  "  well  armed  "  men  had  responded 
to  this  alarm  :  "the  whole  country  was  in  arms  "  ;  they  came  not  only  from 
Middlesex  and  the  adjacent  counties,  but  from  the  western  parts  of  the 
State,  and  even  from  Connecticut. 

They  poured  into  Cambridge,  and  assembled  by  thousands  on  the 
Common.  It  was  an  orderly  throng,  but  determined.  The  Crown  officers 
were  alarmed ;  Judge  Danforth  and  Judge  Lee  addressed  the  assemblage, 
and  both  expressing  regret  at  having  accepted  appointments  under  acts  so 
obnoxious  to  their  fellow  citizens,  then  and  there  resigned  their  offices,  and 
promised  never  again  to  accept  any  position  in  conflict  with  the  charter 
rights  of  the  people. 

Phipps,  the  high  sheriff,  appeared  also ;  he  was  aggrieved  at  the  feel- 
ings of  the  people  towards  him  for  his  action  in  delivering  up  their  powder, 
but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  acted  under  orders  from  his  commander  in 
chief,  his  offense  was  condoned. 

Lieut.-Governor  Thomas  Oliver  lived  then  in  the  mansion  which  since 
was  the  home  of  the  poet  Lowell.  Several  thousand  people,  militia  and 
"  lookers  on,"  appeared  before  his  house.  Previously  he  had  parleyed  and 
hesitated,  fearing  His  Majesty's  displeasure  if  he  should  resign,  as  requested 
to  do,  but  intimating  that  he  might  do  so  if  the  whole  province  desired  it  ; 
but  now,  seeing  the  determined  spirit  of  the  people,  and  the  uselessness  of 


SOMERVTLLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT.  1 9 

further  refusal,   he   signed  his  resignation   as   Lieutenant-Governor   and 
President  of  the  Council, 

Meanwhile  Brattle,  who  by  his  prominence  in  this  affair  had  brought 
upon  himself  the  indignation  of  the  inhabitants,  fled  to  Boston,  and 
sought  refuge  in  the  fold  of  General  Gage,  whence  he  wrote  a  woeful  story 
of  his  wrongs  and  banishment,  claiming  to  be  a  friend  of  his  country, 
acting  for  its  true  interest,  yet  expressing  himself  sorry  for  what  had  oc- 
curred. 

Meantime  the  wild  rumors  afloat  had  been  contradicted,  and  the  people 
returned  again  to  their  homes  and  employments,  and  all  seemed  as  tranquil 
as  before. 

This  great  uprising  was  the  rumble  of  the  approaching  storm,  and 
warning  of  the  coming  tempest. 

Paul  Revere's  Ride. 

The  English  Parliament  and  press  during  the  winter  of  1774-5  dis- 
cussed vigorously  the  dispute  with  the  Colonists ;  among  each  were  friends 
to  America ;  but  the  Ministerial  party  were  in  the  majority,  and,  urged  on 
by  the  King  and  Lords,  endeavored  to  enforce  the  most  arbitrary  measures, 
among  which  were  further  restrictions  on  trade  and  the  act  forbidding 
importation  into  the  colonies  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war. 

This  last  act  caused  much  alarm,  and  the  Americans  took  immediate 
steps  to  secrete  and  protect  the  military  supplies  already  accumulated. 

These  were  distributed  among  various  towns,  one  of  which  was  Con- 
cord. Gage  learned  this,  and  determined  on  their  capture,  divining  which, 
the  patriots  took  precautions  to  prevent.  A  company  of  thirty  men 
arranged  with  each  other  to  watch  "  two  and  two  "  the  movements  of  the 
British  ;  among  these  were  William  Dawes  and  Paul  Revere.  Several  days 
previous  to  April  19,  the  unusual  activity  of  the  troops  and  fleet  announced 
to  the  Americans  that  some  important  movement  by  the  enemy  was 
contemplated. 

John  Hancock  and  Samuel  Adams,  who  were  in  Lexington,  were 
cautioned  that  Gage  intended  their  capture.  About  this  time  the  wife  of  a 
British  soldier  carelessly  divulged  the  order  for  the  expedition  to  a  lady 
who  employed  her,  who  promptly  gave  the  patriots  warning.  William 
Dawes  was  immediately  sent  by  way  of  Roxbury  and  Paul  Revere  by  way 
of  Charlestown,  to  alarm  the  inhabitants.  Revere  crossed  Charles  River 
past  the  frigate  Somerset  just  before  orders  were  received  to  stop  all 
boats,  and  taking  horse  on  the  Charlestown  shore,  rode  with  all  speed  over 
the  Neck  and  up  Washington  Street,  to  near  the  present  Cresent  Street ; 
here  he  saw  two  horsemen  standing  in  the  road  a  short  distance  away; 
perceiving  that  they  were  British  officers,  he  wheeled  and  galloped  back  to 
the  Neck,  and  around  into  Broadway,  pursued  by  one  of  the  horsemen ;  the 
other  endeavored  to  head  him  off  by  crossing  the  fields,  but  fell  into  a 
clay  pit,  thus  enabling  Revere  to  escape.  He  rode  over  Winter  Hill  and 
Main  Street,  to  and  through  Medford  and  Arlington,  to  Lexington  and 


20  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

beyond,  where  he  was  captured;  not,  however,  until  he  had  thoroughly 
alarmed  the  country.  At  the  junction  of  Broadway  and  Main  Street  stands 
a  granite  tablet  commemorating  this  historic  ride. 

Battle  of  Lexington. 

At  about  ten  o'clock  on  the  night  of  April  i8,  1775,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Smith  of  the  Tenth  British,  with  eight  hundred  men,  marched  quietly  to  the 
foot  of  Boston  Common,  and  crossed  Back  Bay  in  boats  to  Lechmere  Point, 
now  East  Cambridge,  landing  not  very  far  east  of  the  present  Court  House ; 
the  troops,  avoiding  the  roads  and  highlands  for  fear  of  discovery,  skirted 
the  marshes ;  and  the  tide  being  up,  or  rising,  and  East  Cambridge  then  an 
island  at  high  water,  they  were  obliged  to  wade  "  thigh  deep  "  in  crossing 
to  Somerville,  where,  striking  a  byway,  they  emerged  upon  Washington 
Street,  probably  at  or  near  Prospect  Street ;  thence  their  march  was  through 
Washington  Street,  Union  Square,  Bow  Street,  Somerville  Avenue  and  Elm 
Street,  and  thence  to  Concord. 

In  those  days,  an  old  house,  owned  or  occupied  by  a  widow  Smith, 
stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  present  Wesley  Park ;  here  the  troops  halted 
and  quenched  their  thirst  at  the  well,  and  were  seen  by  the  frightened  occu- 
pants of  the  house. 

Next  they  passed  the  residence  of  Samuel  Tufts  (now  Mr.  Blaisdell's), 
who  was  in  the  kitchen  at  the  time,  moulding  bullets;  thence  on  past 
Thomas  Rand's  house ;  Mrs.  Rand,  who  had  not  yet  retired,  saw  the 
threatening  platoons,  and  after  they  had  gone  by  sent  her  son  to  alarm  the 
neighbors.  Then  they  came  to  Timothy  Tufts'  house  on  Elm  Street,  near 
Beach,  stopping  there  again  for  water.  Mr.  Tufts'  dog  woke  the  echoes  of 
the  night,  and  also  the  family  with  his  vehement  protests.  Peering  out,  they 
saw  the  hostile  columns  and  flash  of  the  bayonets  in  the  moonlight,  and 
then  saw  the  soldiers  turn  into  Beach  Street  and  disappear,  as  they  con- 
tinued their  silent  march. 

Their  encounters  at  Lexington  Common  and  at  Concord  Bridge,  and 
their  disastrous  retreat,  reinforced  and  perhaps  saved  from  capture  by  Lord 
Percy,  yet  still  flying,  harassed  and  relentlessly  pursued  by  the  Americans, 
have  become  notable  events  in  the  world's  history.  Like  a  rabble  rout  they 
came  down  Arlington  Avenue  into  Cambridge  and  Somerville.  The  Ameri- 
cans supposed  they  would  retreat  as  Percy  came,  through  old  Cambridge, 
Brighton,  and  Roxbury ;  but  a  confused  throng,  they  turned  through  Beach 
Street  into  Elm.  At  the  westerly  corner  of  these  streets  was  a  grove,  where 
minute  men  were  secreted,  who  gave  the  troops  a  galling  fire.  The  British 
who  fell  here  were  buried  in  Mr.  Tufts'  land,  just  inside  the  wall. 

Percy,  who  at  every  available  point  had  endeavored  to  check  the  pur- 
suit with  his  artillery,  again  opened  fire  with  his  cannon,  from  the  northerly 
slope  of  Spring  Hill,  on  the  pursuing  minute  men,  but  with  little  avail ;  his 
troops  continued  their  retreat  down  Elm  Street  and  Somerville  Avenue,  one 
man  being  killed  near  Central  Street,  at  which  point  a  volley  was  fired  into 
Mr.  Rand's  house,  and  near  Walnut  Street  another  soldier  fell.     Down 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  21 

Washington  Street  they  went,  skirting  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  where  oc- 
curred some  of  the  hottest  fighting  of  the  day. 

It  was  now  evening,  and  the  flashes  of  musketry,  which  were  plainly 
seen  in  Boston,  told  vividly  the  story  of  their  retreat  and  disaster. 

Throughout  the  retreat,  wherever  possible,  flanking  parties  of  British 
had  been  sent  out  to  drive  off  the  minute  men. 

The  only  Somerville  citizen  who  fell  on  this  day  was  shot  by  the  flank 
guards.     He  was  James  Miller,  an  old  man  and  patriot. 

He  with  others  were  on  the  slope  of  Prospect  Hill,  firing  on  the  British 
in  the  street  below,  when  the  flankers  surprised  them ;  the  rest  fled,  but 
Miller,  still  firing,  stood  at  his  post,  and  when  called  upon  to  fly  made  the 
memorable  answer,  "  I  am  too  old  to  run." 

On  the  north  side  of  Washington  Street,  nearly  opposite  Mystic  Street, 
is  the  house  then  owned  by  Samuel  Shed ;  a  British  -soldier  entered  it,  and 
while  rummaging  a  bureau,  was  shot,  falling  dead  over  the  drawer ;  this 
bureau,  or  "  high  boy,"  as  it  was  called,  with  its  bullet  holes,  is  now  in  pos- 
session of  the  descendants  of  Nathan  Tufts. 

The  British  flight  and  pursuit  continued  until  they  had  crossed  the 
Neck  into  Charlestown,  which  they  did  just  as  Colonel  Pickering,  with  seven 
hundred  Essex  minute  men,  came  hurrying  over  Winter  Hill,  to  intercept 
them.  Had  he  arrived  a  little  earlier  the  entire  force  would  have  been 
captured. 

During  the  battle.  General  William  Heath  assumed  command ;  after  the 
Americans  had  ceased  further  pursuit,  he  "  assembled  the  officers  around 
him,  at  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  and  ordered  a  guard  to  be  formed  and 
posted  near  that  place."  This  was  the  first  guard  mounting  of  the  Revolution. 
Sentinels  and  patrols  were  also  posted  near  the  Neck,  to  give  warning  of  the 
enemy's  movements.  The  minute  men  were  ordered  to  Cambridge,  where 
all  night  they  lay  on  their  arms. 

The  battle  of  the  nineteenth  of  April  began  at  Lexington,  and  ended 
in  Somerville,  and  in  its  glory  Somerville  is  entitled  to  share. 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

On  April  20,  General  Artemas  Ward,  the  senior  in  date  of  commission, 
took  command  of  the  American  forces,  with  headquarters  at  Cambridge, 
whence,  under  the  resolve  of  the  Provincial  Congress  for  the  enlistment  of 
thirty  thousand  men,  the  militia  from  all  directions  began  to  march. 

Within  a  short  time  there  were  fifteen  thousand  troops,  or  more,  in  the 
American  camp,  among  them  many  from  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island, 
and  Connecticut. 

Early  in  May,  a  report  was  made  to  the  Committee  of  Safety,  recom- 
mending the  immediate  fortifying  of  Prospect  Hill  and  vicinity,  and  of 
Bunker  Hill ;  and  probably  not  long  after,  earthworks  were  thrown  up  near 
Union  Square,  commanding  the  Charlestown  road  (Washington  Street). 
Troops  meanwhile  were  posted  both  in  Roxbury  and  Somerville,  to  repel 
any  attempt  that  might  be  made  by  the  enemy  to  march  out  of  Boston. 


22  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Roxbury  Neck  had  been  fortified  the  previous  winter  by  the  British,  and 
now  bristled  with  thirty  cannon  or  more,  but  Charlestown  was  still  neutral 
ground.  Gage  probably  fearing  to  divide  his  forces  by  its  occupation. 

The  measure  suggested  in  May  for  fortifying  Bunker  Hill  was  not 
finally  decided  on  until  June  15,  when  rumors  became  prevalent  that  the 
British  were  again  planning  to  march  out  into  the  country. 

On  the  1 6th,  General  Ward  ordered  Col.  William  Prescott,  with  three 
Massachusetts  regiments,  and  a  batallion  of  Connecticut  troops,  about  a 
thousand  or  twelve  hundred  in  all,  to  proceed  that  night  to  Charlestown 
and  seize  and  fortify  Bunker  Hill.  The  troops  were  paraded  on  Cambridge 
Common,  and  after  a  prayer  by  Dr.  Langdon,  President  of  Harvard  College, 
at  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  commenced  their  march  towards 
Bunker  Hill,  passing  through  Somerville,  by  way  of  Washington  Street  and 
Union  Square,  down  to  and  across  the  Neck.  Colonel  Prescott,  with  two 
sergeants  carrying  dark  lanterns,  led  the  way. 

General  Israel  Putnam  and  Colonel  Richard  Gridley,  the  engineer  of 
the  army,  accompanied  the  expedition,  and  following  after  were  wagons 
with  intrenching  tools.  Their  destination  was  kept  a  profound  secret  from 
the  troops  until  after  crossing  the  Neck. 

Prescott  had  been  ordered  to  fortify  Bunker  Hill,  but  it  was  soon 
discovered  that  Breed's  Hill  was  a  superior  military  position,  and  after 
consultation,  and  some  loss  of  time,  it  was  determined  to  fortify  that  in 
place  of  Bunker. 

Col.  Gridley  immediately  laid  out  the  works,  which,  rising  as  if  by  magic, 
confronted  and  challenged  the  British  fleet  and  army  at  sunrise. 

The  details  of  the  battle  on  Bunker  Hill  are  familiar  to  all,  and  only 
such  events  connected  with  it  as  occurred  in  Somerville  need  be  related. 

For  some  time  previous  to  the  17th,  Colonel  John  Patterson's  regiment 
of  Berkshire  men  had  been  stationed  at  the  redoubt  near  the  foot  of  Pros- 
pect Hill,  where  they  probably  remained  throughout  the  day,  having  been, 
with  Ward's  regiment  and  part  of  Bridge's,  held  back  as  a  reserve.  All 
other  Massachusetts  troops,  and  those  of  New  Hampshire  and  Connecticut, 
were  ordered  to  the  front.  A  great  part  of  them  never  arrived  there,  the 
furious  cannonading  from  the  fleet  across  the  Neck,  and  into  East  Somer- 
ville, rendering  any  attempt  to  reach  the  peninsula  perilous.  Yet  it  was 
over  this  Neck,  and  through  this  storm  of  shot  and  shell,  that  the  terror- 
stricken  people  fled  into  Somerville  from  their  burning  homes  in  Charles- 
town. 

Early  in  the  fight.  Major  Gridley,  son  of  the  engineer,  was  ordered  with 
his  company  of  artillery  to  reinforce  Prescott ;  he  was  a  young  man  with 
but  little  military  experience,  and  instead  of  obeying  orders,  he  took  a 
position,  with  a  portion  of  his  force,  on  Cobble,  now  Asylum  Hill ;  the  rest 
of  his  company  marched  on  to  the  scene  of  action.  Col.  Mansfield's  regi- 
ment passing  forward  at  this  time  with  orders  to  the  front,  was  directed  by 
Gridley  to  support  his  battery,  which  disobeyed  previous  instructions. 
Mansfield  did  so,  and  also  took  a  position  on  Cobble  Hill.    From  this  hill 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  23 

Gridley  opened  a  feeble  and  ineffectual  fire  from  his  light  guns  upon  the 
British  ships  which  lay  in  the  bay  east  of  the  hill. 

Disobedience,  or  misunderstanding  of  orders,  seemed  to  be  a  common 
occurrence.  Colonel  Scammon's  regiment  had  also  been  ordered  to  the 
field  of  battle,  which  he  curiously  interpreted  to  mean  Lechmere  Point,  now 
East  Cambridge,  and  thither  went.  From  there,  however,  he  soon  crossed 
to  Cobble  Hill  and  reinforced  Gridley,  and  later  on  marched  as  far  as 
Bunker  Hill,  but  too  late  to  be  of  service.  Colonel  Gerrish's  regiment,  also 
under  orders  to  reinforce  Prescott,  found  lodgment  on  Ploughed,  now 
Convent  Hill ;  part  of  the  regiment  later  were  led  into  action  by  a  brave 
officer,  named  Febiger,  and  did  valiant  service. 

Gridley,  Mansfield,  Scammons,  and  Gerrish,  were  each  court-martialed. 
Gridley,  Mansfield  and  Gerrish  were  cashiered,  and  Scammons  acquitted ; 
Gridley  on  account  of  his  youth  not  being  deprived  of  the  right  to  hold 
future  commission  in  the  Continental  Army. 

Somerville  beheld  vivid  scenes  of  war  that  day  :  incessant  marching  of 
troops  towards  the  front,  over  Washington  Street  to  Broadway;  citizens 
fleeing  here  from  their  burning  town ;  officers  galloping  to  and  fro  between 
the  battlefield  and  Cambridge ;  artillery  bombarding  the  fleet  from  Asylum 
Hill ;  shot  and  shell  from  the  frigates  mercilessly  raking  the  easterly  part 
of  the  town ;  fugitives  and  wounded  soldiers,  on  litters  or  the  shoulders  of 
their  comrades,  hurrying  to  places  of  safety ;  and  finally  the  retreating  army, 
who,  victorous  in  defeat,  planted  themselves  on  Prospect  and  Winter  Hills, 
expecting  and  ready  for  a  renewal  of  the  battle. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  Siege  of  Boston.  —  Intrenchments  Made.  —  Exchange  of  Prisoners.  —  Battle 
OF  Hog  Island.  —  Gage's  Proclamation  of  Amnesty.  —  Fortifications  on 
Prospect  and  Winter  Hills.  —  Arrival  of  Generals  Washington,  Putnam 
AND  Lee.  —  Declaration  of  the  Continental  Congress.  —  Description  of  the 
Patriots'  Camps.  —  Sufferings  of  the  People  and  Troops.  —  First  Unfurling 
of  the  New  Flag  of  the  United  Colonies.  —  Seizure  of  Dorchester  Heights. 
—  Evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British. 

The  investment  of  Boston  began  on  the  night  of  the  battle  of  Lexing- 
ton, when  General  Heath  posted  the  guard  at  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill. 

Speaking  of  that  battle  a  British  officer  says,  "  About  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening  we  arrived  at  Charlestown."  .  .  .  "The  rebels  shut  up  the 
Neck  and  placed  sentinels  there."  ..."  So  that  in  the  course  of  two  days 
we  were  reduced  to  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  living  on  salt  provisions, 
and  fairly  blocked  up  in  Boston." 

The  posting  of  troops  in  Somerville  and  Roxbury  shortly  afterwards, 
to  check  any  attempt  of  the  enemy  to  again  leave  Boston,  and  the  building 
of  fortifications  near  Union  Square  and  the  Cambridge  line,  the  first  works 


24  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

thrown  up  by  the  Americans  in  this  war,  convinced  the  British  that  a  siege 
was  actually  begun. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May  General  Burgoyne  arrived  in  Boston,  and 
writing  to  a  friend  in  England,  says,  speaking  of  the  town,  that  it  is 
"  invested  by  a  rabble  in  arms,  who,  flushed  with  success  and  insolence, 
had  advanced  their  sentries  to  pistol  shot  of  our  outguards ;  the  ships  in 
the  harbor  exposed  to,  and  expecting  a  cannonade  or  bombardment." 

The  incidents  of  this  siege  crowded  one  upon  another  in  quick  succes- 
sion, and  we  can  more  readily  chronicle  them  by  noting  each  in  the  order 
of  its  occurrence.  The  earlier  operations  of  the  siege  were  probably 
desultory,  and  dictated  by  circumstances. 

In  the  interim  between  the  battles  of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill, 
many  events  of  interest  took  place. 

On  April  20  the  Americans  held  their  first  council  of  war,  at  which 
were  Generals  Ward,  Heath  and  Whitcomb,  with  many  other  Massachu- 
setts officers,  some  of  whom  figured  prominently  in  the  battle  of  June  17, 
notably  Colonel  William  Prescott.  Communication  between  the  people  of 
Boston  and  those  outside  was  immediately  cut  off  by  Gage,  who  expressed 
fears  to  the  Selectmen  that  the  Americans  would  attack  the  town,  and  might 
be  aided  by  its  citizens,  which  would  cause  serious  results ;  accordingly, 
on  April  22,  a  town  meeting  was  held,  resulting  in  an  agreement  allowing 
all  women  and  children  who  desired,  to  leave  "  with  all  their  effects  "  ;  and 
"  their  men  also,"  by  solemnly  engaging  not  to  "take  up  arms  against  the 
King's  troops,  "  "  should  an  attack  be  made  " ;  a  further  condition  being 
that  all  firearms  and  ammunition  be  delivered  up.  This  was  reciprocated 
by  the  Provincial  Congress,  who  gave  to  all  outsiders  who  might  wish,  per- 
mission to  enter  Boston  on  similar  terms ;  and  officers  were  stationed  at  the 
"  Sun  Tavern  "  at  Charlestown  Neck,  and  also  in  Roxbury,  to  issue  passes 
therefor.  Under  this  arrangement  nearly  thirty-five  hundred  weapons 
were  taken  by  the  British,  and  never  returned.  For  a  while  Gage  kept 
the  agreement  in  good  faith,  but  later,  at  the  instance  of  Tory  advisers,  he 
threw  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of  those  leaving,  such  as  searching  goods, 
separating  families,  etc.,  and  finally  forbade  their  leaving  the  town. 

The  battle  of  Lexington  was  fought  by  men  from  Eastern  Massachu- 
setts, but  immediately  thereafter  troops  from  other  sections  and  States 
began  to  arrive,  notably  from  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island  and  Connec- 
ticut, and  later  on  from  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia. 

In  May  fatigue  parties  were  sent  out  and  intrenchments  were  com- 
menced in  Cambridge  and  Somerville.  On  the  27th  and  28th  the  battle  of 
Hog  Island  occurred,  brought  on  by  a  detachment  sent  from  this  camp  to 
capture  live  stock  on  Hog  and  Noddle's  islands  (the  latter  now  East  Boston)  ; 
while  doing  this  they  were  attacked  by  the  King's  troops  and  ships,  but 
escaped  to  the  main  land  during  the  night;  re-inforced  by  infantry  and 
artillery,  they  resumed  the  conflict  the  next  day,  and  succeeded  in  blowing 
up  one  of  the  British  schooners  and  disabling  a  sloop  ;  the  trophies  of  this 
engagement  were  twelve  cannon,  more  than  three  hundred  head  of  horses, 


SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT.  25 

cows  and  sheep,  and  a  large  quantity  of  hay ;  with  the  re-inforcements  came 
Generals  Putnam  and  Warren,  the  latter  serving  as  volunteer  ;  our  loss  was 
light  in  this  engagement,  but  the  enemy's  was  said  to  be  heavy. 

On  June  6  the  first  exchange  of  prisoners  took  place  ;  through  Somer- 
ville  the  procession  passed,  Generals  Putnam  and  Warren  riding  in  a 
phaeton,  accompanied  by  three  captive  English  officers  in  a  chaise,  and  by 
wounded  prisoners  in  carts,  all  under  military  escort.  At  the  ferry  they  met 
Gage's  officers,  with  whom  came  the  American  captives.  The  exchange 
was  soon  over,  the  whole  affair  being  "  conducted  with  the  utmost  decency 
and  good  humor." 

On  June  1 2  Gage  issued  his  notorious  proclamation  of  amnesty  to  all 
except  Hancock  and  Adams,  which  offer  the  Americans  answered  five  days 
later  at  Breed's  Hill. 

This  engagement  was  the  one  great  battle  of  the  noted  siege,  and  the 
only  one  where  the  two  armies  met  in  force.  For  nine  months  thereafter  it 
was  one  continuous  artillery  duel,  accompanied  with  sharpshooting  and 
skirmishing. 

A  curious  rumor  was  circulated  after  this  battle,  that  the  British  pur- 
suit had  been  continued  to  Winter  Hill,  where  the  Americans  had  again 
repulsed  the  British  with  great  slaughter.     It  was  only  a  rumor,  however. 

After  falling  back  to  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills,  on  June  17,  the  pro- 
vincial troops  immediately  commenced  fortifying  those  eminences;  the 
works  on  Prospect  Hill  were  built  under  the  direction  of  that  wolf -renowned 
hero,  Putnam.  On  this  hill  the  men  were  subjected  to  a  heavy  artillery  fire 
from  the  British,  who  thus  attempted  to  dislodge  them;  with  no  result, 
however,  except  to  inure  the  provincials  to  the  howling  of  shot  and  shell. 

Meanwhile  the  New  Hampshire  men  under  General  Folsom  were  forti- 
fying Winter  Hill. 

During  the  month  of  June  smallpox  broke  out  and  became  epidemic, 
causing  great  distress  to  the  besiegers,  and  the  people  of  the  towns  where 
they  were  quartered. 

On  July  2,  there  arrived  in  camp  General  Washington,  recently  ap- 
pointed Commander-in-Chief,  accompanied  by  General  Charles  Lee,  second 
in  command,  and  Horatio  Gates,  Adjutant  General  of  the  Army.  Both 
Gates  and  Lee  had  been  officers  in  the  British  service,  but  had  now 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Americans. 

Lee  was  an  eccentric  military  genius ;  he  was  looked  upon  by  many  of 
the  wisest  patriots  as  scarcely  inferior  to  Washington  in  loyalty  or  capacity  ; 
he  had  a  great  reputation  as  a  soldier,  having  been  in  service  since  boy- 
hood. He  was  an  officer  at  the  age  of  eleven,  and  had  served  in  the  British, 
Portuguese,  and  Polish  armies,  in  the  latter  acting  as  aid-de-camp  to  the 
king ;  and  now  he  had  placed  his  sword  at  the  service  of  America,  and  for 
a  long  time  seemed  its  most  devoted  champion,  but  later  his  inordinate 
ambition  brought  disagreement  with  Washington ;  and,  after  several  un- 
pleasant episodes,  he  was  court-martialed  and  suspended  for  one  year. 
Within  a  few  years,  documents  have  come  to  light  tending  to  show  that 


26  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Lee,  toward  the  last  of  his  service,  played  a  double  part ;  but  while  here,  he 
was  a  "  tower  of  strength  "  to  the  army,  and,  as  commander  of  the  most  of 
that  portion  of  it  in  Somerville,  his  career  has  more  than  usual  interest  to 
us. 

All  the  State  organizations  on  July  4  were  taken  into  the  service  and 
pay  of  the  United  Colonies,  and  re-organized,  and  on  July  22  were  formed 
into  three  divisions,  viz  :  — 

The  left  wing  was  composed  of  two  brigades,  one  at  Winter  Hill  under 
General  Sullivan,  the  other  at  Prospect  Hill  under  General  Greene.  The 
center,  two  brigades,  one  commanded  by  Heath,  the  other  by  its  senior  of- 
ficer ;  and  the  right  also  two,  one  under  Thomas,  the  other  under  Spencer. 

The  left  held  the  line  from  Mystic  River  to  Prospect  Hill ;  the  center, 
from  Prospect  Hill  to  Charles  River ;  the  right,  from  Charles  River  to 
Roxbury  Neck.  The  entire  left  wing,  and  perhaps  half  of  the  center,  were 
within  Somerville  limits,  and  her  hills  were  crowned  with  the  strongest  and 
most  elaborate  works  of  the  whole  line  :  the  redoubt  on  Ten  Hills  Farm  ; 
the  "Winter  Hill  Fort";  the  "French  Redoubt,"  on  Central  Hill;  the 
"  Citadel,"  on  Prospect  Hill ;  the  strong  intrenchments  on  Ploughed  Hill, 
which  commanded  the  Neck,  and  defied  the  British  on  Bunker  Hill ;  "  Fort 
Number  Three,"  near  Union  Square ;  and  "  Putnam's  Impregnable  For- 
tress," on  Cobble  Hill ;  each  must  have  reminded  Gage  of  the  similar  work 
he  had  captured  at  so  great  a  sacrifice,  on  June  17,  and  brought  to  his  mind 
the  question  asked  in  England,  viz,  "  If  it  cost  a  thousand  men  to  take 
Bunker  Hill,  how  many  will  it  cost  to  capture  all  the  hills  in  America  ?  " 

On  July  6,  1775,  the  Continental  Congress  issued  a  declaration  setting 
forth  the  grievances  of  the  Provinces,  and  reasons  for  taking  arms  ;  on  the 
15th  this  was  read  at  Cambridge,  and  on  the  i8th,  to  the  army  on  Prospect 
Hill,  and  was  received  with  patriotic  enthusiasm.  A  prayer  was  offered  by 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Langdon,  cannon  were  fired,  and  the  Connecticut  flag, 
recently  received  by  Putnam,  unfurled.  On  one  side  it  bore  the  motto, 
"  An  Appeal  to  Heaven,"  and  on  the  other,  "  Qui  transtulet  sustinet." 

The  American  riflemen  seriously  annoyed  the  English,  and  cost  them 
many  lives.  Most  of  these  were  sharpshooters  from  Virginia  and  Pennsyl- 
vania, and,  having  been  accustomed  to  the  rifle  from  childhood,  were  all 
skillful  marksmen.  The  American  soldiers  were  aggressive,  and  made  fre- 
quent and  often  successful  attempts  to  surprise  the  enemy's  pickets,  burn 
their  buildings,  or  capture  their  stores,  and  the  British  in  their  turn  occa- 
sionally ventured  outside  their  lines  on  similar  errands,  but  usually  with 
less  success. 

Some  of  the  diarists  of  that  time  have  left  us  interesting  pictures  of 
camp  and  conflict ;  one,  the  Reverend  William  Emerson,  father  of  Ralph 
Waldo,  who  was  chaplain  in  the  army,  says  :  "  My  quarters  are  at  the  foot  of 
the  famous  Prospect  Hill,  where  such  great  preparations  are  made  for  the 
reception  of  the  enemy.  It  is  very  diverting  to  walk  among  the  camps  "  ; 
"  some  are  made  of  boards,  and  some  of  sail-cloth,  some  partly  of  one  and 
partly  of  the  other.    Again,  others  are  made  of  stone  and  turf,  brick  or 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  2/ 

brush,"  "  others  curiously  wrought  with  doors  and  windows,   done  with 
wreaths  and  withes,  in  the  manner  of  a  basket." 

Another,  in  September,  speaks  of  the  success,  so  far,  of  the  British. 
"  Britain,  at  the  expense  of  three  millions,  has  killed  one  hundred  and  fifty 
Yankees  in  this  campaign,  which  is  twenty  thousand  pounds  a  head  ;  and 
on  Bunker  Hill  she  gained  a  mile  of  ground,  half  of  which  she  has  since 
lost  by  not  having  post  on  Ploughed  Hill"  ;  and  adds  that,  "as  meanwhile 
sixty  thousand  children  have  been  born  in  America,"  one  can  "  easily  calcu- 
late the  time  and  expense  requisite  to  kill  us  all,  and  conquer  our  whole 
territory." 

In  August,  there  were  under  Washington's  command  about  forty  regi- 
ments, or  something  less  than  twenty  thousand  men,  poorly  supplied,  and 
with  so  little  ammunition  that  the  firing  from  our  lines  from  necessity 
nearly  ceased.  This  scarcity  of  powder  caused  great  alarm  among  the  Amer- 
ican officers,  as  the  EngUsh  appeared  to  be  preparing  for  an  attack.  Re- 
garding it,  Colonel  Reed  wrote,  "  The  word  *  powder  '  sets  us  all  on  tiptoe ; 
we  are  in  a  terrible  situation,  occasioned  by  a  mistake  in  a  return.  We 
reckoned  upon  three  hundred  quarter  casks,  and  had  but  thirty-two  barrels." 
Early  in  the  month  of  September  about  eight  hundred  men  were  de- 
tached from  the  army  to  join  General  Arnold's  unfortunate  Quebec  expedi- 
tion, a  large  part  being  from  Prospect  Hill,  mostly  riflemen. 

In  October,  Gage  having  returned  to  England,  General  Howe  assumed 
command,  and  soon  issued  a  proclamation  prohibiting  anyone  from  leaving 
Boston  unless  by  his  permission,  on  pain  of  execution  as  a  traitor.  They  were 
also  forbidden  to  carry  out  more  than  five  pounds  in  specie,  the  penalty  be- 
ing forfeiture,  fine  and  imprisonment.  These  measures  compelled  Wash- 
ington to  issue  orders  of  retaliation  upon  the  Tories. 

At  this  time,  and  afterwards,  the  people  and  troops  in  Boston  are  said 
to  have  suffered  severely  from  want,  increased  greatly  by  the  loss  of  ships 
laden  with  provisions  and  stores,  captured  by  our  privateers.  They  were 
"  almost  in  a  state  of  starvation,  for  the  want  of  food  and  fuel,"  and  "being 
totally  destitute  of  vegetables,  flour  and  fresh  provisions,  had  actually  been 
obliged  to  feed  on  horse  flesh."  On  the  9th  of  November,  a  force  of  four 
hundred  British  crossed  in  boats  to  Lechmere  Point,  intending  to  capture 
the  stock  there,  but,  the  alarm  being  given,  the  Americans  waded  across  to 
meet  them,  a  skirmish  ensued  in  which  the  English  ships  took  part,  but 
which  resulted,  as  usual,  in  the  retirement  of  his  majesty's  troops. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d,  General  Putnam  took  possession  of  Cobble 
Hill,  and  commenced  fortifying.  The  work  was  skillfully  planned  and  very 
strong,  and  contrary  to  expectation,  completed  without  molestation  from 
the  enemy. 

In  December,  Lechmere  Point  was  also  fortified,  but  the  work  on  this 

hill  was  thrown  up  under  a  continuous  fire  of  shot  and  grape  from  the 

British,  which  lasted  several  days.     In  this  action  the  fort  on  Cobble  Hill 

took  part  with  good  effect,  forcing  an  English  ship  to  retire  from  the  fight. 

On  December  28,  an  endeavor  was  made  by  a  detachment  from  Winter 


28  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Hill  to  capture  the  enemy's  pickets  near  the  Neck.  They  attempted  to 
cross  on  the  ice  just  south  of  Cobble  Hill ;  but  one  of 'the  men,  slipping,  fell 
and  discharged  his  musket,  thereby  alarming  the  British,  and  the  expedition 
was  abandoned. 

The  new  year  brought  much  uneasiness  to  the  patriot  army ;  veteran 
troops,  whose  time  had  expired,  were  returning  home  "  by  thousands,"  and 
new  ones  replacing  them.  This  change  was  a  difficult  and  dangerous  one  to 
make  in  presence  of  an  enemy,  but  Washington  accomplished  it  without  mo- 
lestation ;  and  says  of  it  that  "  it  is  not  in  the  pages  of  history,  perhaps,  to 
furnish  a  case  "  like  it. 

From  Prospect  Hill,  on  January  i,  1776,  the  new  flag  of  the  United 
Colonies  was  unfurled  to  the  breeze,  and  for  the  first  time  bid  defiance  to 
the  foe ;  it  had  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red  and  white ;  but  the  field  con- 
tained, instead  of  stars,  as  now,  the  crosses  of  Saint  George  and  Saint 
Andrew.  A  year  and  a  half  later,  stars  took  the  place  of  crosses.  A  tablet 
has  been  erected  on  the  hill  in  memory  of  this  flag-raising. 

In  February  Colonel  Knox  arrived  with  the  captured  Ticonderoga  can- 
non and  stores,  some  fifty  pieces  of  artillery  in  all.  These  increased  im- 
mensely the  offensive  strength  of  the  Americans,  and  a  little  later  enabled 
them  to  carry  into  execution  that  daring  feat,  the  seizing  and  fortifying  of 
Dorchester  Heights.  This  successful  movement  so  seriously  threatened  the 
British  army  and  shipping,  that  after  various  threatening  manoeuvres,  on 
Sunday,  March  17,  they  embarked  and  left  Boston  forever.  In  their  hasty 
departure  they  left  the  Americans  over  one  hundred  cannon,  and  an  im- 
mense quantity  of  military  stores. 

The  roar  of  cannon  and  mortars  and  the  bursting  of  shells  had  shaken 
Boston  and  the  surrounding  towns,  resounding  through  the  valleys,  and  re- 
verberating among  the  hills,  for  nine  weary  months ;  and  now  the  people 
hailed  with  rejoicing  its  cessation,  and  the  departure  of  the  British  army  of 
occupation.  Thus  ended  the  siege,  which  in  its  inception,  execution  and 
triumph  was  to  the  Americans  one  of  the  most  successful  achievements  of 
the  war.  But  the  news  in  England  that  her  famed  legions,  supported  by 
her  renowned  navy,  could  be  shut  up  for  eleven  months  in  a  beleaguered 
city,  and  finally  driven  to  sea  by  a  "rabble"  they  despised,  but  feared  to 
meet,  was  a  cause  of  national  mortification. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  29 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Designed  Isolation  of  New  England.  —  Surrender  of  Burgoyne.  —  Hessian 
Prisoners  Quartered  in  Somerville.  —  Ball  and  Supper  given  by  General 
Riedesel's  Wife.  —  Poor  Barracks  for  the  Prisoners.  —  Scarcity  of  Fuel.  — 
Removal  of  the  Prisoners. 

The  obstinate  resistance  of  the  people  of  Boston  and  of  New  England, 
and  the  disastrous  results  of  every  attempt  at  their  subjugation,  caused  the 
English  ministry  to  look  upon  that  section  as  the  center  of  insurrection, 
and  early  in  1777  they  planned  a  campaign  designed  to  sever  New  England 
from  the  rest  of  the  colonies. 

The  lines  of  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Champlain  were  to  be  oc- 
cupied by  armies  from  Canada,  under  Burgoyne,  and  from  New  York, 
under  Howe. 

These  lines  were  to  be  strongly  fortified,  and  with  the  co-operation  of 
the  fleet,  it  was  believed  this  would  effectually  hem  in  the  refractory  section 
and  enable  the  King's  forces  to  operate  elsewhere  with  greater  ease. 

The  conception  was  brilliant,  but  its  execution  was  a  failure,  and  thus 
fresh  laurels  were  added  to  the  American  arms. 

After  a  series  of  successes  and  failures,  Burgoyne  surrendered  to  Gen- 
eral Gates  at  Saratoga,  on  the  17th  of  October,  1777.  Over  nine  hundred 
officers  and  forty-eight  hundred  soldiers  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, together  with  thirty-five  cannon  and  about  five  thousand  stand  of 
arms. 

Burgoyne's  army  consisted  of  British,  Hessians,  Canadians,  Tories  and 
Indians. 

By  the  terms  of  surrender  the  Canadians  were  allowed  to  return 
home,  and  the  English  and  Hessians  were  to  have  free  passage  to  England, 
on  condition  of  not  serving  again  in  this  contest,  Boston  to  be  their  point 
of  embarkation.  With  this  understanding  they  started  on  their  weary  jour- 
ney over  the  Green  Mountains,  and  arrived  at  Somerville  on  November  7. 
The  English,  about  twenty-three  hundred,  under  General  Philips,  were 
marched  to  Prospect  Hill  and  vicinity,  and  the  Hessians,  about  nineteen 
hundred,  under  General  Riedesel,  to  Winter  Hill. 

A  letter,  describing  the  arrival  of  the  prisoners,  says  :  — 

"Last  Thursday,  which  was  a  very  stormy  day,  a  large  number  of 
British  troops  came  softly  through  the  town,  via  Watertown  to  Prospect 
Hill.  On  Friday  we  heard  the  Hessians  were  to  make  a  procession  in  the 
same  route." 


30  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

They  are  described  as  being  poor,  dirty  and  emaciated ;  with  them 
came  "great  numbers  of  women,  who  seemed  to  be  the  beasts  of  burden, 
hrving  bushel  baskets  on  their  backs,  by  which  they  were  bent  double ;  the 
contents  seemed  to  be  pots  and  kettles,  various  sorts  of  furniture,  children 
peeping  through  gridirons  and  other  utensils." 

General  Riedesel's  family  accompanied  the  expedition,  and  in  her  de- 
scription of  this  journey,  Madame  Riedesel  says  :  — 

"  As  it  was  already  very  late  in  the  season,  and  the  weather  raw,  I  had 
my  calash  covered  with  coarse  linen,  which,  in  turn,  was  varnished  over 
with  oil ;  and  in  this  manner  we  set  out  on  our  journey  to  Boston,  which 
was  very  tedious,  besides  being  attended  with  considerable  hardship.  I 
know  not  whether  it  was  my  carriage  that  attracted  the  curiosity  of  the  peo- 
ple to  it  —  for  certainly  it  had  the  appearance  of  a  wagon  in  which  they 
carry  around  rare  animals  —  but  often  I  was  obliged  to  halt,  because  the 
people  insisted  upon  seeing  the  wife  of  the  German  general  with  her 
children.  For  fear  that  they  would  tear  off  the  linen  covering  from  the 
wagon  in  their  eagerness  to  see  me,  I  very  often  alighted,  and  by  this 
means  got  away  more  quietly.  However,  I  must  say  that  the  people  were 
very  friendly,  and  were  particularly  delighted  at  my  being  able  to  speak 
English,  which  was  the  language  of  their  country." 

"  At  last  we  arrived  at  Boston  ;  and  our  troops  were  quartered  in  bar- 
racks not  far  from  Winter  Hill.  We  were  billeted  at  the  house  of  a  coun- 
tryman, where  we  had  only  one  room  under  the  roof. 

"  My  women  servants  slept  on  the  floor,  and  our  men  servants  in  the 
entry.  Some  straw,  which  I  placed  under  our  beds,  served  us  for  a  long 
time,  as  I  had  with  me  nothing  more  than  my  own  field  bed." 

In  a  short  time  the  quarters  of  General  Riedesel  were  changed  from 
near  Winter  Hill,  where  his  family  had  been  very  unpleasantly  situated,  to 
more  pretentious  ones  at  Cambridge,  where  most  of  the  captive  officers  were, 
and  where  they  lived  comfortably,  if  not  sumptuously. 

Mrs.  Riedesel  thus  describes  one  of  the  entertainments  given  here :  — 

"On  the  3d  of  June,  1778,  I  gave  a  ball  and  supper  in  celebration  of 
the  birthday  of  my  husband.  I  had  invited  to  it  all  the  generals  and 
officers."  "  We  danced  considerably,  and  our  cook  prepared  us  a  magnifi- 
cent supper  of  more  than  eight  covers.  Moreover,  our  courtyard  and  garden 
were  illuminated.  As  the  birthday  of  the  King  of  England  came  upon  the 
following  day,  which  was  the  fourth,  it  was  resolved  that  we  would  not 
separate  until  his  health  had  been  drank ;  which  was  done  with  the  most 
hearty  attachment  to  his  person  and  his  interests.  Never,  I  believe,  has 
*  God  save  the  King  '  been  sung  with  more  enthusiasm  or  more  genuine  good 
will."  "  As  soon  as  the  company  separated,  we  perceived  that  the  whole 
house  was  surrounded  by  Americans,  who,  having  seen  so  many  people  go 
into  the  house,  and  having  noticed,  also,  the  illumination,  suspected  that 
we  were  planning  a  mutiny,  and  if  the  slightest  disturbance  had  arisen,  it 
would  have  cost  us  dear." 

General  Heath,  whom  we  remember  at  Lexington,  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  prisoners,  and  of  the  Americans  guarding  them. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  3 1 

Meanwhile  Congress  decided  to  ignore  the  articles  of  surrender  grant- 
:  ng  free  passage  to  England,  and,  as  a  result,  Burgoyne  and  his  troops  were 
leld  as  ordinary  prisoners  of  war.  This  caused  intense  indignation  among 
:he  captives,  English  and  Hessians,  as  well  as  in  England ;  and  with  a  man 
Df  less  judgment  than  Heath  in  command,  might  have  resulted  seriously. 

As  it  was,  the  troops  during  their  entire  captivity  were  in  a  state  bor- 
dering on  revolt. 

Disputes  and  trouble  between  them  and  the  Americans  were  of  daily 
occurrence,  and  in  several  instances  resulted  in  bloodshed.  On  one  oc- 
casion a  Hessian  prisoner  received  a  serious  bayonet  wound  from  a  conti- 
nental soldier,  and  on  another  a  British  soldier  a  sword  thrust  from  an 
American  officer. 

The  most  serious  event  was  the  shooting  of  an  English  officer  who  was 
riding  in  a  chaise  with  two  ladies  along  the  foot  of  Prospect  Hill,  but  who 
failed  to  answer  the  challenge  of  the  sentry. 

The  act  was  stigmatized  as  murder  by  Burgoyne,  and  the  prisoners 
were  wild  with  exasperation.  The  sentry  was  tried  by  court-martial  and 
acquitted. 

The  officer  was  buried  from  Christ  Church,  old  Cambridge. 

The  British  and  Hessian  soldiers,  while  in  Somerville,  were  quartered 
in  the  old  barracks  left  by  the  Americans  after  the  siege  of  Boston,  the  pre- 
vious year,  at  which  the  prisoners  made  bitter  and  frequent  complaints.  A 
writer,  speaking  of  them  says  :  "  These  barracks  had  been  erected  for  .  .  . 
use  during  the  siege  of  Boston,  and  were  of  the  lightest  description.  The 
wind  whistled  through  the  thin  walls,  the  rain  came  through  the  roofs,  the 
snow  lay  in  drifts  on  the  floor." 

General  Riedesel  says  of  them  :  "  Indeed  the  greater  number  of  the 
soldiers  are  so  miserably  lodged  that  they  are  unable  to  shelter  themselves 
from  cold  and  rain  in  this  severe  season  of  the  year ;  and  in  spite  of  the 
handsome  promises  and  the  fact  that  they  are  here  fourteen  days,  and  not- 
withstanding, also,  my  offer  that  the  men  would  make  the  repairs  themselves 
if  the  necessary  materials  were  furnished,  nothing  has  been  provided  for 
them  yet.  The  soldiers,  of  whom  twenty  to  twenty-four  occupy  the  same 
barrack,  are  without  light  at  night.  Three  of  them  sleep  in  the  same  bed. 
They  receive,  also,  so  little  fuel  that  they  can  scarcely  cook  our  rations,  to 
say  nothing  of  warming  the  cold  rooms.  In  fact,  they  have  not  even  con- 
sidered it  worth  while  to  establish  a  rule  by  which  the  officers  and  privates, 
according  to  their  rank,  may  receive  fuel." 

The  scarcity  of  fuel  during  this  winter  of  1777-8  was  so  great  that  the 
guards  as  well  as  the  prisoners  suffered  severely,  and  in  their  straits  spared 
neither  tree  nor  fence,  which,  however,  furnished  meagre  warmth  for  so 
great  a  number,  miserably  sheltered. 

The  prisoners  remained  here  from  November,  1777,  until  November, 
1778,  when  it  was  thought  prudent  to  move  them  inland,  and  they  were 
marched  first  to  Rutland,  Massachusetts,  and  then  to  Virginia. 

Thus  ended  the  Revolutionary  drama  here. 


32  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

Revival  of  Industries  after  the  Revolution.  —  Brick-making  in  Somerville.  — 
Celebrated  Farms. — The  Bleachery.  —  The  Middlesex  Canal.  —  Completion 
of  Bridges  to  Boston. — The  First  Railroad  through  Somerville. —  Establish- 
ment of  the  McLean  Asylum.  —  Robbery  of  Major  Bray.  —  The  Ursuline 
Convent  and  its  Destruction.  —  Town  Improvements.  —  Establishment  of 
Schools. —  Beginning  of  a  Fire  Department.  —  Separation  of  Somerville  from 
Charlestown. 

The  Revolution  over,  industries  and  public  improvements  absorbed  the 
energies  which  for  eight  years  had  known  little  else  than  war,  and  from  this 
time  until  its  separation  from  Charlestown,  Somerville's  material  progress 
was  continuous,  though  perhaps  slow.  Many  were  the  industries  of  her 
people  during  this  period.  Among  the  most  notable  were  brick-making, 
farming  and  milk-raising. 

The  brick-making  business  "  held  high  carnival "  here  for  years  before 
and  since  the  town  was  set  off.  The  time,  conditions  and  location,  near  a 
great  city  just  beginning  to  change  from  wooden  to  brick  constructions,  were 
more  than  favorable.  The  town  abounded  not  only  with  a  superior  quality 
of  clay,  but  the  best  of  sand,  which  were  generally  near  one  another- 
Wood  had  to  be  brought  by  team  or  canal. 

These  clays  bordered  and  underlay  the  marshes  and  scattered  generously 
around  the  town,  from  the  present  Wyatt  Park  to  the  northerly  slope  of  Winter 
Hill.  The  burning  kilns,  for  years,  smoked  the  days  and  illumined  the 
nights.  In  one  way  or  another  a  majority,  perhaps,  of  the  townspeople 
were  interested  in  this  prosperous  business.  The  sand  industry  was  also 
great,  and  its  excavations  covered  a  considerable  territory,  which  before 
was  at  a  much  higher  elevation  than  now. 

Farming,  and  milk  and  stock  raising  were  carried  on  extensively.  The 
old  road  from  Charlestown  Neck  through  Union  Square,  Bow  Street  and 
Somerville  Avenue  into  Elm  Street,  from  the  dairy  farms  bordering  it,  was 
called,  until  recently  "  Milk  Row."  Ten  Hills,  while  Derby  and  Jaques 
were  its  proprietors,  was  noted  as  a  stock  farm.  The  best  breed  of  horses, 
cattle  and  sheep,  some  being  choice  importations,  gave  it  a  world-wide  repu- 
tation. Colonel  Jaques  was  not  only  a  horseman  and  huntsman,  and  a 
lover  and  raiser  of  fine  stock,  but  the  raising  of  choice  poultry  was  among 
his  pursuits.  Some  of  the  finest  varieties  in  the  country  were  imported  by 
him.  Another  estate  in  the  town  was  also  noted :  the  farm  of  Joseph  Bar- 
rell,  afterward  the  site  of  the  McLean  Asylum.  Barrell  was  a  man  of  leisure 
and  fine  tastes.  He  made  horticulture  a  study,  and  his  gardens  contained 
the  choicest  varieties  of  fruits  and  flowers. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  33 

While  many  of  the  important  industries  which  were  started  here  in  the 
early  days  of  the  century  are  now  almost  forgotten,  one  still  flourishes 
after  a  life  of  seventy-five  years  :  the  bleachery  on  Somerville  Avenue,  incor- 
])orated  in  1821  as  the  Charlestown  Bleachery.  It  has  changed  proprietor- 
'  jhip  and  name  several  times  since  then,  being  known  as  the  Milk  Row 
Bleachery,  the  Somerville  Dyeing  and  Bleaching  Company,  and  the  Mid- 
dlesex Bleachery  and  Dye  Works.  Its  latest  owners  were  Messrs.  K.  M. 
Gilmore  and  John  Haigh,  the  latter  recently  deceased.  The  bleachery 
people  form  almost  a  community  of  their  own,  and  the  narrative  of  their 
three  quarters  of  a  century,  if  written,  would  be  very  entertaining. 

One  other  calling  has  had  a  long  existence :  stone  quarrying.  It  began 
nearly  or  quite  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  and  still  flourishes. 

Among  other  establishments  in  Somerville  before  its  incorporation, 
were  a  pottery,  grist  mill,  distillery,  rope  walks  and  spike  works. 

Several  public  enterprises  were  inaugurated  while  the  city  was  a  part 
of  Charlestown.  The  Middlesex  Canal,  incorporated  in  1792,  was  com- 
pleted in  1803,  under  the  superintendence  of  that  famous  engineer,  Loamm 
Baldwin.  It  extended  from  Charlestown  to  Chelmsford.  Up  to  18 19  there 
had  been  one  hundred  assessments  on  its  stockholders,  and  the  enterprise 
had  yielded  little  if  any  return  to  its  proprietors,  and  had  cost  |5 1,1 64, 200. 
With  its  locks,  bridges  and  creeping  boats,  it  must  have  added  much  to  the 
picturesqueness  of  the  landscape.  Like  the  stage  coaches  and  baggage 
wagons  of  primitive  days,  it  sulkily  retreated  on  the  approach  of  the  rail- 
road, and  became  with  them  an  antique  curiosity.  Its  ruins  are  still  dis- 
cernible in  a  few  places  within  the  city. 

An  old  stone  which  stood  in  Harvard  Square  until  recently,  bore  the 
words  "  To  Boston  8  miles."  It  was  set  there  before  Charlestown  or  Cam- 
bridge had  any  bridge  connection  with  the  metropolis,  and  indicated  the 
distance  to  it  by  carriage.  From  Prospect  Hill  it  was  nearly  ten  miles  to 
Boston  by  highway.  Great  was  the  rejoicing  therefore  when,  in  1786,  the 
bridge  from  Charlestown,  and  in  1793,  that  from  Cambridge  to  Boston  were 
completed,  and  the  eight  or  ten  weary  miles  became  little  more  than  two. 
In  1787  the  Maiden  bridge  was  built,  and  in  1809  the  Craigie  bridge  from 
East  Cambridge  to  Boston. 

About  1803,  Medford  Turnpike,  now  Mystic  Avenue,  was  laid  out  from 
Medford  Centre  to  Charlestown  Neck.  Another  early  road  was  Middlesex 
Turnpike,  now  Beacon,  and  Hampshire  Street,  from  North,  now  Massachu- 
setts Avenue,  at  North  Cambridge,  to  Broadway  in  lower  Cambridgeport. 
Both  of  these  great  thoroughfares  were  the  direct  result  of  the  new  bridges, 
to  which  they  were  the  feeders  of  country  travel.  But  it  was  the  coming  of 
the  railroad  that  awoke  the  new  era.  The  ill  effects  of  its  advent  on  the  canal 
and  the  coach  have  been  mentioned,  but  it  brought  a  great  and  general  in- 
crease of  business  and  prosperity. 

The  first  railroad  through  Somerville  was  the  Lowell,  opened  in  1835. 
Its  building  incurred  much  opposition  from  property  owners  along  its  route. 
In  1836  the  Charlestown  Branch  was  incorporated,  it  being  at  first  what  its 


34  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

name  implies,  a  branch  of  the  Lowell,  running  from  a  point  a  little  north  of 
the  present  Fitchburg,  to  the  wharves  in  Charlestown,  the  headquarters  of 
the  ice  traffic.  It  was  shortly  after  extended  to  Fresh  Pond,  and,  in  1842, 
its  franchise  descended  to  a  new  company,  the  Fitchburg.  The  first  pas- 
senger station  in  Somerville  established  on  the  Lowell  road,  was  at  its 
crossing  with  Washington  Street;  and  the  first  on  the  Fitchburg,  at  its 
crossing  with  Kent  Street,  just  in  the  rear  of  the  present  Franklin  School 
lot ;  both  are  now  gone. 

The  Lowell,  and  the  Charlestown  Branch,  were  the  only  railroads  exist- 
ing in  Somerville  previous  to  its  incorporation. 

In  1 816  the  beautiful  estate  on  Cobble  Hill,  or,  as  Barrell  named  it, 
"  Pleasant  Hill,"  was  sold  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  to  be 
dedicated  two  years  later  as  a  retreat  for  the  mentally  afiiicted,  and  such  it 
has  remained  until  recent  days  ;  but  it  has  now  yielded  its  loveliness  to 
traffic's  iron  rail  and  wheel.  The  asylum  received  its  name  from  John 
McLean,  its  generous  benefactor.  Its  first  superintendent  was  Dr.  Rufus 
Wyman,  followed  consecutively  by  Dr.  Luther  V.  Bell,  one  of  Somerville's 
martyrs  in  the  Civil  War,  Dr.  Chauncy  Booth,  Dr.  John  E.  Tyler,  Dr.  George 
F.  Jelly,  and  last,  Dr.  Edward  Cowles,  its  present  superintendent. 

During  the  town's  pre-incorporate  period,  two  incidents  of  more  than 
ordinary  moment  occurred :  the  robbery  of  Major  Bray  and  the  burning  of 
the  Ursuline  Convent. 

The  robbery  of  Major  Bray  took  place  on  the  night  of  August  13,  1821, 
on  Medford  Turnpike,  now  Mystic  Avenue,  that  reproach  to  city  and 
county,  and  not  far  from  Temple  Street.  Medford  in  those  days  held  high 
place  among  the  towns,  as  the  residence  of  the  Governor,  that  gallant  old 
hero  of  Bunker  Hill  and  other  Revolutionary  fields.  Major  John  Brooks. 
His  receptions  were  frequent,  and  his  guests  were  gathered  from  Boston 
and  surrounding  towns.  It  was  on  one  of  these  occasions  that  Major  Bray, 
while  returning  to  Boston,  was  waylaid  by  that  recently  imported  artist  of 
the  highway,  Mike  Martin,  alias  "  Captain  Lightfoot,"  neither  of  which  was 
his  correct  name.  Martin  had  watched  the  Governor's  house,  and  as  the 
Major  drove  away,  singled  him  out  for  his  victim.  Mounting  his  horse, 
Martin  soon  overtook  Bray,  who  at  the  muzzles  of  Lightfoot's  pistols  de- 
livered up  his  watch  and  money.  Mrs.  Bray  was  in  the  carriage,  but  from 
her  Martin,  who  was  a  chivalrous  rogue,  took  nothing,  gallantly  remarking 
that  he  "  never  robbed  ladies."  He  was  captured  not  long  after,  tried  and 
convicted,  and  was  the  first  and  last  example  under  the  law  which  made  high- 
way robbery  a  capital  crime.  In  his  defense  he  strenuously  asserted  that 
the  pistols  which  threatened  Major  Bray  were  empty  and  that  Bray  was  un- 
necessarily alarmed. 

The  Ursuline  Convent  on  Mount  Benedict  was  opened  on  July  17, 
1826,  under  the  auspices  of  the  "  Ursuline  Community."  Its  purpose  was 
"  the  education  of  female  youth,"  "  to  adorn  their  minds  with  useful  knowl- 
edge and  to  form  their  hearts  to  virtue."  The  school  was  divided  into  a 
junior  and  a  senior  department ;  in  the  former  were  taught  the  "  common 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  35 

branches  of  education,"  in  the  latter  ancient  and  modern  languages, 
sciences,  music  and  art,  including  ornamental  work  and  other  accomplish- 
rients.  Probably  no  other  institution  in  New  England  offered  such  an  ex- 
tensive range  of  studies. 

Although  professedly  sectarian,  it  was  liberally  patronized  by  young 
ladies  of  all  creeds,  the  majority  being  Protestants ;  for  it  was  claimed  that 
"  the  religious  opinions  of  the  children  are  not  interfered  with."  The 
])uilding  was  beautifully  situated  on  heights  commanding  the  landscape  in 
all  directions,  and  the  grounds  were  ornamentally  laid  out  with  fine  gar- 
dens, foliage  and  flowers.  No  event  occurred  to  disturb  the  "  even  tenor  " 
of  the  school  until  1833,  when  the  flight  of  one  of  its  pupils.  Miss  Rebecca 
Reed,  who  had  been  converted  from  Protestantism,  and  the  publication  by 
her  of  a  book,  purporting  to  give  an  account  of  life  there,  and  of  alleged 
abuses,  called  public  attention  to  the  institution,  and  was  largely  instru- 
mental in  creating  a  feeling  of  antagonism  against  it,  especially  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  were  prone  to  strong  religious  prejudices. 

On  the  night  of  the  28th  of  July  the  next  year  (1834),  a  second  incident 
occurred  which  increased  intensely  this  feeling.  It  was  the  escape  of  a 
nun.  Sister  "  Mary  John,"  as  she  was  called.  She  is  said  to  have  been  suf- 
fering at  the  time  with  a  fit  of  "  mental  derangement."  She  was  sought  for 
by  the  bishop,  but  at  first  refused  to  return.  The  next  day,  however,  hav- 
ing somewhat  recovered,  she  evidently  reconsidered  her  previous  refusal, 
and  was  taken  back  to  the  convent. 

From  this  occurrence  sprang  various  rumors  in  the  press  and  on  the 
streets,  all  of  which  were  derogatory  to  the  Ursuline  Community,  and 
tended  to  greatly  increase  the  feeling  against  it.  Threats  of  the  destruction 
of  the  building  were  whispered  around,  and  the  excitement  grew  stronger 
and  stronger  as  fresh  rumors  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  until  with  the 
fatal  August  11,  1834,  came  the  storm  which  laid  all  in  ruins. 

A  full  warning  had  been  given  the  "  Community  "  that  the  convent  was 
to  be  destroyed  on  that  day,  and  all  indications  pointed  to  the  probable  ex- 
ecution of  the  threat,  yet  only  feeble  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  town  author- 
ities were  taken  to  prevent  it.  In  the  early  evening  a  mob  of  many 
hundred  gathered  outside  the  convent  grounds,  and  after  much  noise  and 
disturbance,  the  gates  were  forced,  fences  torn  down,  and  the  mob  surged 
up  to  the  building.  When  the  lady  superior  saw  the  temper  of  the  assail- 
ants, she  is  said  to  have  endeavored  to  stay  their  work  by  threatening  them 
with  the  retaliation  from  twenty  thousand  Irishmen.  About  this  time  two 
shots  were  fired  by  some  one  in  the  crowd,  upon  which  the  inmates 
abandoned  the  building  and  retired  to  the  gardens.  The  doors  were 
battered  down,  and  the  rioters,  flushed  with  excitement,  overran  the  build- 
ing, which  was  soon  in  flames.  The  fire  engines  were  called  out,  but  it  is 
nowhere  recorded  that  the  firemen  made  any  effectual  attempt  to  quench 
the  fire.  It  was  even  thought  by  some,  though  never  proven,  that  they 
were  in  sympathy  with  the  mob.  The  inmates,  who  were  all  females, 
sought  refuge  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Adams,  which  is  still  standing,  on  Broad- 


36  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  ' 

way,  near  Sargent  Avenue,  and  the  rioters,  having  finished  their  work  of 
desolation,  retired.  It  was  feared  that  more  rioting  would  follow,  but  the 
p'  ecautions  now  taken  by  the  authorities  averted  further  danger. 

Thirteen  of  those  known  to  have  participated  in  the  attack  were  ar- 
rested and  tried,  but  owing  to  conflicting  evidence,  or  for  some  other  rea- 
son, only  one  was  found  guilty,  and  it  was  strongly,  and  probably  with 
truth,  asserted,  that  he,  a  youth  only,  was  the  least  guilty  of  all.  Religious 
feeling  ran  very  high  in  those  days,  it  would  seem,  and  there  are  also  rea- 
sons for  believing  that  pure  religious  sentiments  might  have  been  found  as 
easily  elsewhere  as  in  the  hearts  of  the  men  who,  in  the  darkness  of  night, 
could  attack  a  defenseless  community  of  women  and  children,  most  of  the 
latter  being  of  their  own  religious  faith.  But  in  condemning  a  deed,  which, 
looked  at  calmly  to-day,  sixty-two  years  after  its  occurrence,  seems  to  us 
extremely  brutal  and  unchristian,  it  may  perhaps  be  well  to  remember  that 
in  all  ages,  great  political  and  religious  excitement  have  led  men  to  the 
perpetration  of  acts  which,  in  their  calmer  moments,  they  would  have  con- 
demned, which  leads  us  to  exclaim,  nearly  in  the  words  of  Madam  Roland, 
"  Oh,  religion  !  how  many  crimes  in  thy  name  are  committed  " ;  and  these 
words  are  applicable  to  no  one  creed  alone. 

But  few  town  improvements  were  made  in  Somerville  while  part  of 
Charlestown.  Its  highways  were  neglected  and  its  school  facilities 
meagre.  True,  three  important  avenues  were  opened,  viz. :  Middlesex 
Turnpike,  Medford  Street  and  Medford  Turnpike.  But  for  these,  being 
private  enterprises,  the  town  government  deserved  no  credit.  Five  schools 
had  been  established,  one  grammar,  and  four  primary,  the  buildings  being 
one-story,  cheap  structures,  and  generally  costing  not  over  a  thousand  dol- 
lars, the  land  for  which,  in  some  cases,  had  been  donated. 

In  1838  one  fire  engine  had  been  generously  given  this  section,  the 
"  Mystic,  No.  6,"  it  being  the  cast-off  "  Tub  "  of  Company  No.  6,  of  the  penin- 
sula, which  then  became  No.  7.  A  wooden  structure  was  built  for  this  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  the  No.  i  Hose  Company,  at  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Prospect  Streets.  The  Mystic  was  a  small  machine,  fed  with 
buckets.  Its  company  of  thirty-five  members  included  many,  if  not  most 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  Somerville. 

Twenty  years,  and  probably  more,  before  our  city  was  finally  set  off 
from  Charlestown,  the  people  of  this  section  became  dissatisfied  with  the 
way  in  which  town  affairs  were  conducted.  Though  contributing  their  full 
quota  to  the  treasury,  they  felt  that  they  received  no  equivalent  return  in 
public  improvements.  As  the  result,  attempts  were  made  at  various  times 
to  divide  Charlestown,  by  the  inhabitants  "outside  the  Neck,"  which  pro- 
ject was  strenuously  opposed  by  the  denizens  of  the  peninsula,  or,  when 
favored  by  the  latter,  as  on  one  occasion  it  was,  objectionable  conditions 
were  imposed,  which  defeated  the  project.  But  at  last  the  "outsiders" 
succeeded  in  obtaining  the  act  of  separation,  approved  by  the  Governor, 
March  3,  1842.  The  act  was  hailed  with  delight,  and  duly  celebrated  with 
a  supper  at  which  were  representative  guests  from  surrounding  towns,  and 
with  dancing  and  a  salute  of  cannon. 


SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


37 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

From  Separation  to  the  Rebellion. 

Town  Beginnings.  —  Expenses  of  Early  Town  Government.  —  Highways  Described. 

—  Growth  of  the  Town.  —  Survey  of  the  Town.  —  Railroads  and  their  Exten- 
sion.—  Horse  Railroads  Opened.  —  Industries  of  Early  Somerville.  —  Fire 
Department  and  its  Growth.  —  Organization  of  the  Somerville  Light  Infantry. 

—  Schools  and  their  Development.  —  Churches. 

Town  Beginnings. 
On  March  5,  two  days  after  the  approval  by  the  Governor  of  the  act  of 
setting  off,  the  inhabitants  were  notified  to  meet  "at  the  Prospect  Hill 
School  House  "  on  Medford  Street,  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  March,  for  the 
choice  of  town  officers,  at  which  meeting  the  following  were  elected :  Select- 
men, Nathan  Tufts,  John  S.  Edgerly,  Caleb  W.  Leland,  Luther  Mitchell 
and  Francis  Bowman.  Town  Clerk,  Charles  E.  Oilman.  Treasurer  and 
Collector,  Edmund  Tufts.  The  salaries  paid  during  the  first  few  years 
were  many  removes  from  munificent,  and  compared  with  the  figures  of  the 
present  day,  seem  extremely  diminutive. 

Salaries  for  1842. 
Paid  John  C.  Magoun  for  assessing  taxes      .        .        .        $  15.00 

90.00 


"     Charles  E.  Oilman  as  Town  Clerk  . 

"     Edmund  Tufts  as  Treasurer  and  Collector 


Oliver  Tufts  for  assessing  taxes 


30.00 
15.00 


Total  salaries  paid ^250.00 

The  salaries  of  the  same  officials  for  1843  were  I270.  The  whole  ex- 
pense of  carrying  on  the  Town  Government  from  March  3,  1842,  to  March 
3,  1843,  was  as  follows  :  — 

Cash  paid  Benjamin  Hadley's  note 


Interest  on  note 

p     UUU.U(J 

16.00 

Highways 

2,076.57 

Schools    .... 

1,287.96 

Military  Bounty 

45.00 

Fire  Department     . 

2.50 

Miscellaneous 

154-13 

Salaries  and  Fees   . 

300.00 

Abatement  of  taxes 

171-53 

Taxes  due 

486.58 

Cash  on  hand. 

511. 81 

$5,652.08 


38  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AMD  PRESENT, 

The  receipts  of  the  town  the  first  year  were  :  — 

From  Taxes .  ^5,007.08 

"      Benj.  Hadley's  note 600.00 

"      The  State  Military  bounty 45.00 


Total        .        .        .      $5,652.08 

The  town  grew  rapidly  and  the  public  expenses  kept  pace.  By  1853, 
the  cost  of  schools  had  increased  to  $9,150.51;  highways  to  $3,953.17; 
fire  department  to  $147.39,  and  salaries  to  $708.50;  while  $1,112.67  was 
spent  for  relief  of  the  poor,  the  total  expense  for  the  year  being  $24,356.37, 
or  four  times  the  amount  spent  in  1842. 

In  i860,  the  year  previous  to  the  war,  the  town's  expenses  had  increased 
to  $38,052.87,  the  schools  costing  $17,505.91,  highways  $6,989.39,  fire  de- 
partment $1,821.41,  salaries  $1,453.45,  and  the  poor  $1,660.81.  The  salaries 
this  latter  year  were  as  follows:  Town  Clerk,  $300.00;  three  Assessors, 
$400.00;  Collector,  $453.45  ;  Treasurer,  $300.00. 

Highways. 

Somerville  began  her  town  career  with  a  meagre  equipment :  a  pound,  a 
valueless  fire  engine,  a  few  cheap  schoolhouses,  and  some  poor  roads, 
completing  the  list  of  her  possessions. 

Broadway  and  Washington  Street  were  her  oldest  and  principal  high- 
ways. Milk  Street  (Somerville  Avenue),  from  North  Cambridge  to  Elm 
Street,  was  new ;  from  there  to  Bow  Street  it  was  part  of  the  ancient 
"Charlestown  Lane,"  thence  to  Union  Square  recent,  and  new  from  the 
Square  to  Medford  Street,  the  different  sections  being  laid  out  at  various 
times. 

In  earlier  times.  Bow  and  Elm  Streets  were  also  parts  of  "  Charlestown 
Lane."  Prospect,  Beacon  and  Main  Streets,  and  Mystic  Avenue,  were  all  in 
existence  in  1842.  Franklin  and  Cross  Streets  were  open,  but  the  remaining 
Rangeways  were  narrow,  and  probably  steep  or  otherwise  impassable,  or 
entirely  closed.  Sycamore  and  Temple  Streets  were  private  lanes.  The 
former  ran  from  Barberry  Lane  to  the  old  Lee  Headquarters,  the  latter 
from  Broadway  to  Colonel  Jaques'  mansion.  Newton  Street,  from  Prospect, 
southerly,  was  the  narrow  and  antique  Brick  Yard  Lane,  running,  as  its 
name  says,  to  brickyards.  A  part  of  it,  however,  was  one  of  the  pre-revolu- 
tionary  ways  from  Charlestown  to  Cambridge.  Medford  Street  was  also 
open  from  Broadway  to  East  Cambridge.  Barberry  Lane  was  the  "  Middle 
Way  "  of  a  century  ago.  It  was  one  rod  and  a  half  wide,  and  began  at  Cross 
Street,  opposite  the  Universalist  Church ;  thence  it  ran  to  Fosdick  Square, 
which  was  where  Medford  Street  and  Highland  Avenue  now  join,  and 
thence  to  School  Street,  where  the  first  section  of  it  ended. 

The  Lowell  Railroad  cut  this  lane  in  two.  Avon  Place  from  Cross  Street 
to  the  railroad  was  a  part  of  it,  and  Chester  Avenue  another  part;  the  re- 
mainder of  it  was  widened  to  forty  feet,  and  became  "  Church  Street,"  part 
of  the  Highland  Avenue  of  to-day.     The  second  section  of  Barberry  Lane 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AISTD  PRESENT,  39 

began  at  School  Street  about  ten  rods  north  of  the  first,  and  ran  north- 
^/esterly  to  Central  Street,  where  it  ended;  it  was  long  since  abandoned. 

The  growth  of  the  town  between  1842  and  1861  claimed  the  constantly 
increasing  attention  of  the  Selectmen  to  the  improvement  of  the  old,  and 
the  building  of  new  streets.  The  Department  of  Highways  during  this  pe- 
]iod  was  carefully  and  economically  managed;  streets  were  graded  and 
:nacadamized,  sidewalks  built,  gutters  paved,  street  signs  put  up,  etc.  The 
act  that  our  soil  was  chiefly  clay  or  clayey  gravel,  and  our  ledges  mostly 
slate,  both  unsuitable  material  for  heavy  travel,  rendered  the  task  of  good 
road  making  very  difficult,  so  that  notwithstanding  their  best  efforts,  our 
most  traveled  streets  were  at  times  beds  of  dust,  or  sloughs  of  mud.  With 
a  view  to  remedying  this,  a  gravel  bank  was  early  purchased  at  Winchester, 
and  gravel  for  our  roads  was  brought  over  the  railroad. 

In  1 85 1,  a  careful  survey  of  the  town  was  made,  and  in  1852  a  map 
published  by  Martin  Draper,  Jr.,  who  at  that  time  was  principal  of  the 
Prospect  Hill  Grammar  School. 

In  1859,  the  town  voted  to  have  a  complete  survey  of  its  highways, 
which  was  begun  shortly  after,  and  finished  in  1861.  The  survey  embraced 
all  the  roadways  then  opened,  public  or  private,  and  many  prospective  ones. 
It  was  carefully  done,  and  granite  posts  were  set  to  define  and  preserve  the 
street  lines. 

When  the  town  was  incorporated,  it  consisted  chiefly  of  farms,  brick- 
yards and  marshes.  Some  lands  in  East  Somerville  had  been  lotted  and 
put  on  the  market,  but  little  if  any  elsewhere.  Soon,  however,  there  was 
great  activity  in  real  estate,  so  that  by  1855,  land  valued  in  1842  at  only 
fifty  or  one  hundred  dollars  an  acre,  had  advanced  to  two  or  three  thousand 
dollars  per  acre,  and  some  to  ten  thousand ;  and  flourishing  settlements 
began,  not  only  in  East  Somerville,  but  near  Union  Square  and  on  Pros- 
pect, Spring  and  Winter  PI  ills,  each  a  little  village  of  itself. 

In  1842  the  population  was  1,013,  i'^  i^So?  3>524,  and  in  i860,  8,025  ;  the 
valuation  also  increased  from  $988,513  in  1842,  to  $2,102,631  in  1850,  and 
to  $6,033,053  in  i860. 

In  its  first  year  the  town  taxes  were  $5,007.08,  in  1850,  $i6,956.22,in  1855, 
$27,701.46,  and  in  i860,  $29,316.11  ;  the  tax  rate  per  thousand  being  in 
1842,  $4.29;  1845,  $3.60;  1850,  $5.65;  1855,16.40;  i860,  $5.70. 

The  prosperity  of  the  town  is  perhaps  indicated  by  the  fact  that  while 
in  1842  only  two  persons,  Henry  Hill  and  Charles  Tufts,  paid  over  one 
hundred  dollars  in  taxes,  in  1850,  fifteen  residents  and  seven  non-residents 
paid  taxes  ranging  from  one  hundred  and  one  dollars  to  three  hundred 
and  thirty-nine  dollars;  and  in  i860,  thirty-seven  residents  and  thirteen 
non-residents  paid  taxes  ranging  from  one  hundred  and  three  dollars  to 
five  hundred  and  seven  dollars  each. 

Railroads. 

The  Fitchburg  Railroad,  the  successor  to  the  Charlestown  Branch  (of 
the  Lowell),  incorporated  in  1842,  was  opened  to  Waltham  in  1843,  and  to 


40  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Fitchburg  in  1845  ;  its  crooked  route  through  Somerville  was  meanwhile 
straightened,  and  a  few  years  after,  it  was  extended  to  Boston,  its  terminus 
previously  having  been  Charlestown.  Until  1857  it  crossed  the  Lowell  at 
grade,  but  it  was  then  lowered  and  the  Lowell  raised  and  bridged  over  it. 

In  1 85 1  the  Vermont  Central  was  finished,  which  gave  continuous  rail- 
road connection  between  Boston  and  Canada.  The  rejoicing  over  this  event 
lasted  several  days.  One  feature  of  the  celebration  was  a  steam  calliope, 
whose  musical  scream  some  of  our  older  citizens  probably  remember. 

The  year  1845  saw  the  extension  of  the  Boston  and  Maine  through 
Somerville  to  Boston.  This  road  was  chartered  in  1833  as  the  Andover  and 
Wilmington,  and  was  then  a  branch  of  the  Lowell. 

The  Grand  Junction  Railroad  was  projected  in  1849,  ^^^  was  built  from 
the  Eastern  and  Boston  and  Maine  to  the  Fitchburg.  It  was  opened  in 
1 85 1,  and  later  was  extended  across  Cambridge  and  the  Charles  River  to 
the  Albany  Railroad.  After  considerable  litigation  it  passed,  in  1869,  into 
the  control  of  the  Albany,  by  reason  of  whose  connection  with  the  western 
railroads,  the  Grand  Junction  became  the  great  feeder  for  European  traffic. 
At  this  time  there  were  no  regular  lines  of  steamers  between  Boston  and 
foreign  ports.  They  were  soon  established,  however,  and  proved  so  successful 
that  the  number  which  cleared  during  the  year  1880  was  over  three  hundred, 
and  Boston's  exports  increased  proportionally. 

The  Eastern  Railroad,  which  previously  ran  from  Salem  to  deep  water 
at  East  Boston,  was  extended  through  this  town  to  Boston  proper  in  1854. 

The  Harvard  Branch  was  another  railroad  built  here  before  the  war.  It 
started  from  the  Fitchburg  near  the  Bleachery  and  ran  to  Harvard  Square, 
the  depot  being  near  the  junction  of  Kirkland  Street  and  North  Avenue.  It 
was  incorporated  in  1848,  but  had  a  short  life,  having  ceased  running  in  1851. 
Its  entire  equipment  was  a  single  passenger  car,  in  one  end  of  which  was 
the  locomotive,  whose  smoke-pipe,  covered  with  a  screen,  peeped  out  above 
the  roof,  from  which  circumstance  it  was  christened  the  "  pepper-box,"  which 
it  somewhat  resembled. 

These  were  all  the  railroads  built  in  Somerville  before  the  war ;  others 
will  be  mentioned  in  a  later  chapter. 

Previous  to  1858  steam  cars  and  omnibuses  or  "  hourlies  "  were  the  only 
conveyances  to  Boston,  but  neither  fully  accommodated  the  public.  This 
year  two  lines  of  horse  railroads  were  opened  into  the  town,  one  over 
Broadway  to  Winter  Hill,  the  other  up  Washington  Street  to  Union  Square, 
and  thence  through  Somerville  Avenue  (then  Milk  Street)  and  Elm  Street  to 
West  Somerville.  They  were  built  along  the  sides  of  the  streets,  near  the 
gutters,  and  were  laid  with  sleepers  and  T-rail,  like  those  of  a  steam  road. 

Industries. 

In  1842  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  chiefly  employed  in  brick- 
making,  farming  and  milk  raising ;  but  "  New  times  demand  new  manners 
and  new  men  "  ;  so  after  the  "  separation  "  advertisements  were  inserted  in 
the  Boston  papers,  calling  the  attention  of  mechanics  and  others  to  the  in- 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  4 1 

fant  town.  In  1845  it  had  added  tinware,  pumps,  paint  manufacturing  and 
cigar  making,  and  perhaps  other  trades,  and  in  1855,  besides  the  foregoing, 
we  find  a  long  list  of  new  industries,  among  the  principal  of  which  are 
rolling  and  spike  mills,  steam  engines  and  boilers,  brass  tube  works,  glass 
works,  vinegar  works,  steam  planing  mills,  harness  and  trunk  factory,  curry- 
ing, a  bakery  and  upholstery  hair  factory.  This  increase  of  trades  and 
manufactures  was  probably  due  largely  to  the  railroad  facilities  of  the  town. 

A  comparison  of  the  products  of  a  few  of  the  principal  industries  of 
1845  with  those  of  1855  show  some  of  the  changes  wrought  in  a  decade. 
Bricks  made  in  1845,  27,500,000;  in  1855,  17,000,000;  decrease,  10,500,000. 
Potatoes  raised  in  1845,  5,700  bushels;  in  1855,  1,400  bushels;  decrease, 
4,300  bushels.  Hay  in  1845,  980  tons;  in  1855,  630  tons ;  decrease,  350  tons. 
Value  of  horses,  cattle,  etc.,  in  1845,  ^20,000;  in  1855,  ^42,000.  Cordage 
manufactured  in  1845,  14  tons;  in  1855,  54  tons.  Cloth  bleached  or 
dyed  in  1845,4,500,000  yards;  in  1855,  21,600,000  yards.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  in  this  decade  began  the  decline  of  brickmaking  and  farming, 
while  manufacturing  and  kindred  industries  increased. 

The  Middlesex  Bleachery  and  Dye  Works  employed  in  1845  thirty-seven 
persons,  and  in  1855,  eighty.  Brickmaking  in  1845  gave  employment  to 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  the  various  yards,  but  in  1855  there 
were  only  two  hundred  and  twenty  engaged  in  it. 

The  Union  Glass  Works  were  established  about  1854,  with  a  capital  of 
$60,000,  the  projectors  being  Amory  and  Francis  Houghton.  In  1855  the 
value  of  glass  ware  made  was  $120,000,  and  it  employed  one  hundred  work- 
men. The  establishment  is  still  in  operation,  after  a  life  of  over  forty  years. 

The  American  Brass  Tube  Works  were  built  in  or  about  1851,  for  the 
manufacture  of  seamless  brass  tubes,  the  process  being  a  carefully  guarded 
secret,  not  patented.  Their  capital  was  1 100,000,  and  the  product  in  1855 
was  said  to  be  $200,000,  and  the  number  of  men  employed  forty. 

Fire  Department. 

The  first  attempt  to  obtain  a  fire  engine  for  the  Somerville  district  is 
related  in  Charlestown  records  thus  :  — 

"  7th  March,  1831."  "Voted  thafthe  subject  of  the  8th  article,  to  wit, 
'  To  know  whether  the  Town  will  purchase  an  engine  to  be  located  at  or  near 
the  School  house.  Milk  Row,  petitioned  for  by  Samuel  Kent  and  others,'  be 
referred  to  the  engineers  to  consider  and  report  at  the  adjournment  of  the 
present  meeting,"  and  the  result  is  shown  in  the  following  record.  "  April 
4,  1 83 1."  "Under  the  8th  article,  the  engineers,  among  other  things  re- 
ported, as  on  file,  that  it  is  inexpedient  to  purchase  an  engine  to  be  located 
at  Milk  Row ;  which  report  being  read,  thereupon,  voted  that  the  same  be 
accepted." 

The  above  location  asked  for  must  have  been  near  the  cemetery.  In 
1838,  the  old  Charlestown  Co.  No.  6  desiring  an  improved  machine,  the  au- 
thorities generously  donated  the  old  "  Mystic  No.  6  "  to  Somerville,  and  at  a 
town  meeting  on  May  7,  the  following  "Article  1 1 "  was  presented :  "  To  see  if 


4i  SOMERVfLLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

the  Town  will  erect  a  house  for  Engine  No.  6  near  Milk  Row,"  whereupon  it 
was  "  voted  "  "  That  the  engineers  be  authorized  to  erect  the  house  at  the 
place  named  in  the  article,"  and  also  "  voted"  "That  ^oo  be  raised  for  the 
purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  building  said  house." 

The  Somervillians  of  those  days  were  hard  to  satisfy,  for  soon  a  further 
demand  seems  to  have  been  made,  and  on  March  27,  1839,  it  was  — 

"  Voted  "  "  That  Messrs.  Goodrich  and  Elliott  [T. J.]  be  a  committee  to 
consider  of  the  expediency  of  erecting  a  belfry  on  engine  house  No.  6,  Milk 
Row  ;  also  to  ascertain  the  probable  expense  and  report  to  the  Board,"  and 
on  "April  8,  1839,  voted,  that  Nathan  Tufts  be  added  to  the  committee  to 
consider  the  expediency  of  erecting  a  belfry  on  engine  house,  Cambridge 
Road  [Milk  Row]  so  called."  "  The  committee  subsequently  reported  that 
it  was  expedient  to  erect  the  belfry,  whereupon,  voted,  that  the  committee 
proceed  forthwith  to  erect  the  same,  provided  the  cost  does  not  exceed  forty 
dollars." 

In  1 841  the  "Milk  Row  "  Company  evidently  became  dissatisfied  with 
their  miniature  bucket  machine,  and  asked  for  a  "  suction  engine,"  with  the 
customary  success,  for  we  find  it  recorded  that,  on  petition  of  Hiram  Allen, 
voted,  inexpedient  to  buy  a  new  "  suction  engine  "  to  replace  No.  6  ;  and  so 
"  Mystic  6  "  remained  eight  years  longer,  the  only  protection  from  fire  for 
this  section. 

In  1849  the  new  "crack"  "  Hunneman  tub,"  was  purchased  by  the 
town  and  christened  "  Somerville  No.  i,"  and  the  poor  friendless  "Mystic 
6  "  was  trundled  off  to  a  stable  on  Broadway  near  Marshall  Street,  and 
four  years  later  was  sold  for  I33. 00  as  old  junk. 

In  1850  an  Act  of  the  Legislature  was  passed  "  to  establish  a  fire  depart- 
ment in  the  town  of  Somerville."  The  department  was  organized  with 
Nathan  Tufts  as  its  first  chief  engineer.  He  was  followed  by  Abram  Welch, 
Robert  A.  Vinal,  and  John  Runy,  who  was  the  last  chief  previous  to  the  war. 
None  of  these  are  now  living. 

Herein  has  been  outlined  only  the  early  history  and  chief  events  of 
Somerville's  Fire  Department,  as  elsewhere  in  this  volume  their  narrative 
has  been  more  fully  written. 

Military. 

The  first  indication  of  martial  spirit  in  Somerville,  after  the  "  separa- 
tion," is  shown  by  an  item  in  her  annual  expenses  for  "  military  bounty," 
$45.00  paid  to  John  S.  Edgerly  and  eight  others.  These  bounties  continued 
to  be  paid  in  varying  amounts  until  1853,  when  the  Somerville  Light  Infan- 
try was  organized  under  command  of  Captain  George  O.  Brastow,  suc- 
ceeded in  1854  by  Captain  Francis  Tufts.  In  1859  Captain  Brastow  again 
assumed  command.  The  company's  armory  and  drill  room  was  at  first  in 
"  Franklin  Hall,"  which  on  Sundays  was  used  as  a  church.  The  hall  was 
in  Union  Square  at  the  junction  of  Somerville  Avenue  and  Washington 
Street.  It  was  owned  by  Mr.  Robert  Vinal  and  has  since  been  destroyed 
by  fire.    Upon  the  completion  of  the  new  brick  engine  house  at  the  corner 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AI^D  PRESENT.  43 

cf  Washington  and  Prospect  Streets,  its   armory  was  transferred  to  that 
building. 

The  Somerville  Light  Infantry,  at  this  time,  was  attached  to  the  5th 
legiment  as  Company  "  B"  ;  at  the  commencement  of  the  war  in  1861  be- 
coming Company  "  I."  The  honorable  record  of  this  organization  in  the 
Civil  War  will  be  mentioned  in  a  succeeding  chapter. 

The  early  military  matters  of  Somerville  can  hardly  be  referred  to  with- 
.)ut  mentioning  three  persons  identified  prominently  with  the  state  militia. 
They  were  Colonel  Samuel  Jaques,  spoken  of  in  a  former  chapter,  Captain 
Henry  A.  Snow  of  the  Boston  Fusileers,  identified  with  that  company  since 
£841,  and  still  its  captain  ;  and  Major  Caleb  Page,  commander  of  the  "  Fly- 
ing Artillery,"  that  company  whose  lightning  manoeuvres  were  the  admira- 
tion of  all. 

Schools. 

Her  schools,  the  pride  of  Somerville,  had  humble  beginnings.     Five 
little  houses,  grudgingly  built  by  the  Charlestown  authorities  before  the  sep- 
aration, were  her  entire  educational  establishment.    They  were  as  follows  : 
"  Pound  Primary,"  on  Broadway,  corner  of  Franklin  Street. 
"  Winter  Hill  Primary,"  west  side  of  Central  Street,  near  Broadway. 
"  Milk  Row  Primary,"  on  Somerville  Avenue  adjoining  the  cemetery. 
"  Prospect  Hill  Primary,"  on  Medford  Street,  in  what  is  now  Central 
Square. 

"  Prospect  Hill  Grammar,"  adjoining  the  primary,  in  Central  Square. 
Another  school  was  kept  for  a  part  of  the  year  1842,  known  as  the 
"  Primary  School  in  the  Russell  District,"  though  there  was  then  no  school- 
house  in  that  part  of  the  town. 

The  teachers  of  these  schools,  and  their  salaries  for  the  term  commenc- 
ing May  I,  1842,  and  ending  February  i,  1843,  were  as  follows,  viz. :  — 

Pound  Primary,  Mary  E.  Brown ^157.50 

Winter  Hill  Primary,  Lucy  D.  Smith  ....  157.50 
Milk  Row  Primary,  Sarah  M.  Burnham  ....  157.50 
Prospect  Hill  Primary,  Eliza  P.  Whitredge  .  .  .  157.50 
Russell  District  Primary  (6  mos.),  Clara  D,  Whittemore  72.00 

Prospect  Hill  Grammar,  Wm.  E.  Graves  ....        450.00 

Total  amount  paid  teachers  the  first  year  of  the  town  .    11,152.00 

All  other  school  expenses  were  $135.96,  making  the  total  cost  of  schools, 
including  salaries,  for  this  first  year,  $1,287.96. 

The  assessed  value  of  the  foregoing  schoolhouses  in  1843  was  :  — 

Pound  School $600.00 

Prospect  Hill  Grammar  and  Primary        ....      1,400.00 

Milk  Row 650.00 

Winter  Hill         .  500.00 


Total  value  of  schoolhouses  in  Somerville  when  set  off,  $3,150.00 


44  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

In  1843  two  new  schoolhouses  were  built,  one  in  the  "  Russell  District " 
on  Broadway  on  land  purchased  of  Charles  Tufts  at  a  cost  of  |ioo,  known 
afterwards  as  the  Walnut  Hill  School,  and  the  other  as  the  "  Lower  Winter 
Hi.l  School,"  which  probably  replaced  the  "  Pound  School."  These  were 
built  by  Mr.  Jerome  Thorp,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  the  city,  and  at  a  cost 
of  $600  and  $605  respectively. 

New  schoolhouses  and  schools  raised  the  educational  expenses  of  1843- 
1844  to  $3,393.88,  but  in  1844-1845  they  fell  to  $2,761.35.  The  average  of 
pupils  attending  school  in  1843  was  two  hundred  and  fifty-five,  and  the 
number  of  children  returned  as  of  school  age  was  three  hundred  and  two. 

The  first  published  report  of  the  School  Committee  was  that  of  April, 
1844,  covering  the  year  of  1 843-1 844,  and  was  made  by  Luther  V.  Bell,  its 
chairman.  This  report,  in  speaking  of  the  two  new  schoolhouses  built  the 
previous  year,  says,  "  The  edifices  are  planned'externally  with  much  taste, 
and  the  internal  arrangements  made  in  the  most  approved  mode."  They 
are  spoken  of  as  *'  little  temples  of  learning."  The  committee  also  suggest 
to  the  parents  that  "  posterity  would  thank  them  should  they,  the  present 
spring,  set  out  as  many  trees  as  are  needed,  in  the  squares  which  have  been 
reserved  about  the  schoolhouses,"  adding  that,  "The  spirit  of  the  age  and 
of  the  Commonwealth  requires  that  this  should  be  done,"  which  spirit  has 
since  materialized  in  our  annual  Arbor  Day. 

During  the  year  1 846-1 847  two  more  school  edifices  were  erected  and 
named,  one  the  "  Prescott "  grammar  and  primary,  on  the  corner  of  Broadway 
and  Franklin  Streets,  the  other  the  "  Franklin  "  grammar  and  primary,  on 
Milk  Row  (now  Somerville  Avenue)  at  corner  of  Kent  Street  Thus  by  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1847  the  five  schools  had  increased  to  nine,  three 
grammar  and  six  primary.  In  1848  the  commodious  Prospect  Hill  grammar 
and  primary  school  was  built.  It  accommodated  two  hundred  and  sixty-four 
pupils,  and  was  opened  on  December  25.  The  name  of  the  old  "  Prospect 
Hill"  wa§  now  changed  to  "  Medford  Street  School."  On  September  i, 
1848,  a  new  school  was  commenced  on  Beacon  Street,  south  of  Washington 
Street  near  the  Cambridge  fine,  and  called  the  "  Harvard  Primary."  Its 
house  was  the  old  school  building  removed  from  the  Prescott  district,  and 
perhaps  the  one  built  there  in  1843  as  before  mentioned. 

The  School  Committee,  in  their  report  of  March,  1849,  speak  with  pride 
of  the  increase  in  school  facilities,  and  say  that  "  the  liberality  of  the  town 
in  providing  for  its  schools^has  placed  it  first  on  the  list  in  the  county,  and 
only  third  in  the  Commonwealth." 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  books  used  in  the  grammar  schools  in 

1849:  — 

Well's  Grammar,  Russell's  Sequel  to  Primary  Reader,  Russell's  Intro- 
duction, American  First  Class  Book,  Instructive  Reader,  Worcester's  Dic- 
tionary, Swan's  Spelling  Book,  Mitchell's  Geographies,  Emerson's  Arith- 
metic, Parker's  Philosophy,  Worcester's  History,  Wreath  of  School  Songs. 

In  1850  the  "  Spring  Hill  Primary  "  was  erected  on  Elm  Place,  and  the 
"  Cherry  Street  Primary  "  School  on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  near  Elm, 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  45 

in  1 85 1.  But  the  event  which  marked  an  era  in  the  school  history  of  the 
town  was  the  founding  of  the  High  School. 

In  recommending  the  establishment  of  a  High  School,  the  committee, 
in  their  report  of  March,  1851,  suggest  three  ways  for  its  accomplishment. 
First,  to  use  the  Prospect  Hill  School  building  for  it ;  second,  vestry  of  the 
Unitarian  Church  ;  and  third,  to  build  a  one-story  building  on  Central  Hill. 
The  High  School  building  was  finished  in  1852.  It  is  the  present  City  Hall, 
and  cost  $7,881.38.  The  school  began  with  sixty-six  pupils,  Mr.  Robert 
Bickford  and  Miss  E.  C.  Babcock  being  its  first  teachers. 

The  Forster  School  on  Sycamore  Street,  named  for  a  prominent  citizen, 
Charles  Forster,  was  built  in  1854. 

In  1857  the  Prescott  School  was  built.  It  was  of  brick,  and  the  most 
costly  structure  built  by  the  town  previous  to  the  war. 

The  Brastow  School  was  commenced  in  i860  and  completed  in  1861,  on 
the  old  "  pound  lot "  on  Medford  Street,  where  the  new  steamer  house  now 
stands.     It  was  the  last  school  edifice  built  during  the  pre-rebellion  period. 

The  town  had  now  (March,  1861)  twenty-two  schools,  and  thirty  teachers 
with  salaries  amounting  to  ^13,050.  It  began  in  1842  with  five  schools, 
six  teachers  and  a  salary  list  oi  $i,is,2. 

Churches. 

From  its  settlement  in  1629,  until  the  year  1844,  the  people  of  this  sec- 
tion attended  public  worship  probably  either  in  Charlestown  or  Cambridge, 
and  possibly  a  few  in  Medford,  listening  to  the  persuasive  words  of  such 
pastors  of  early  renown  as  Zachariah  Symmes,  John  Harvard  the  founder 
of  the  University,  Thomas  Shepard,  Simon  Bradstreet  and  Thomas  Pren- 
tice, and  other  inspired  teachers.  In  the  church  membership,  from  earliest 
to  recent  times,  we  find  Somerville  names ;  among  others  for  instance,  in 
the  earlier  years,  such  as  Governor  Winthrop  and  General  Gibones,  and  in 
later,  Nathan  Tufts,  Samuel  Jaques  and  others.  In  the  early  records  are 
also  many  references  to  church  land  and  lots  here  in  Somerville,  one  as 
early  as  1638,  and  two  in  1788,  one  lot  on  "  Walnut,"  now  College  Plill,  one 
lot  on  "Three  Pole  Lane"  (Cross  Street),  and  one  lot  "in  Rangeway" 
(Middle  Lane,  now  Highland  Avenue).  A  later  record  says,  "  The  new 
church  in  Somerville  now  stands  upon  this  lot,"  which  was  the  first  Unita- 
rian, "  thrice  destroyed  and  thrice  rebuilded,"  the  last  time  on  a  new  and 
the  present  location. 

The  first  church  formed  in  Somerville  was  the  Congregational  Uni- 
tarian Society  just  mentioned,  organized  August  22,  1844,  in  the  old  "  Milk 
Row  "  Engine  House.  Afterwards  it  built  its  church  on  Highland  Avenue, 
then  called  Church  Street.  It  has  had  two  edifices  destroyed  by  fire,  and 
one  unroofed  by  the  wind,  and  is  now  occupying  its  fourth. 

The  Perkins  Street  Baptist  Church  was  the  second,  organized  in  1845, 
in  the  residence  of  Reverend  William  Stowe,  on  Pleasant  Street,  its  first 
church  being  built  the  same  year. 

Then  came  the  First  Baptist  Church,  founded  in  1852,  whose  earlier 


46  SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

services  were  held  in  a  chapel,  since  a  schoolhouse  on  Beach  Street,  and 
whose  present  edifice,  on  the  crown  of  Spring  Hill,  was  built  in  1873. 

The  fourth  was  the  Franklin  Street  Congregational,  organized  in  1853, 
ai  d  which  society  built  their  church  edifice  in  1854. 

The  fifth  was  the  First  Universalist,  whose  early  meetings  were  in  the 
old  Medford  Street  Schoolhouse.  Its  first  edifice  was  a  chapel  on  Tufts 
Street  built  in  1859,  its  next  was  on  the  corner  of  Tufts  and  Cross  Streets, 
on  land  given  by  Mr.  Charles  Tufts,  the  founder  of  Tufts  College ;  this  was 
burned  in  1868,  and  replaced  with  the  present  structure,  on  the  same  site. 

The  sixth  and  last  church  which  was  founded  during  the  period  treated 
of  in  this  chapter  was  the  Methodist  Episcopal  organized  in  1855,  and 
which  met  at  first  in  Franklin  Hall,  Union  Square.  The  society  afterwards 
built  a  church  building  in  1858  or  1859,  on  Webster  Avenue,  which  has  since 
been  remodeled  into  the  Parochial  School.  Its  church  is  now  on  Summer 
near  Bow  Street. 


CHAPTER   IX. 
The  Civil  War. 

Somerville's'Response  TO  President  Lincoln's  Calls  for  Men.  —  Appropriations  by 
THE  Town  for  Soldiers  and  their  Families.  —  Bounties  Offered.  —  Somerville 
Light  Infantry.  —  Somerville  Guard.  —  Volunteers  for  the  War.  —  State 
Bounties. — Officers  of  Somerville  Companies  in  the  War.  —  Service  during 
the  War  of  the  Companies  from  Somerville.  — The  Martyr  Roll. 

When  the  "long  roll"  sounded  throughout  the  land,  after  the  fall  of 
Fort  Sumter,  and  President  Lincoln  called  for  seventy-five  thousand  men  to 
quell  the  rising  rebellion,  the  regiments  of  Massachusetts  promptly  re- 
sponded. Among  the  earliest  was  the  Fifth,  in  whose  ranks  was  the  Somer- 
ville Light  Infantry,  then  Company  "  I."  And  as  promptly  the  people  of  the 
town  also  responded. 

Enthusiastic  meetings  were  held  in  the  public  halls,  the  engine  house 
and  the  open  air. 

Subscriptions  were  raised  and  committees  appointed.  One  of  the  first 
meetings  was  held  in  the  Town  Hall,  on  April  17,  186 1.  It  was  a  largely 
attended  and  enthusiastic  gathering,  and  a  fund  of  over  $4,300  was  soon 
raised  for  assisting  the  families  of  the  Somerville  Company,  which  had  been 
ordered  immediately  to  Washington ;  this  meeting  was  followed  by  others. 
Private  subscriptions  were  prompt  and  liberal,  as  were  also  the  appropria- 
tions of  the  Town,  not  only  at  the  beginning,  but  throughout  the  whole 
period  of  the  war.  During  the  four  years'  contest,  Somerville  expended  for 
the  soldiers  and  the  cause,  from  its  public  treasury,  one  hundred  thirty-five 
thousand  five  hundred  sixty  dollars,  and  from  the  contributions  of  its 
citizens,  sixty-five  thousand  eight  hundred  twenty-two  dollars ;  in  all,  two 
hundred  one  thousand  three  hundred  eighty-two  dollars. 


SOMERV/LLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  47 

The  Selectmen  were  then  :  Benjamin  Randall,  Captain  Henry  A.  Snow, 
Captain  Thomas  Cunningham,  Albert  Kenneson  and  Charles  H.  Guild. 
They  entered  with  alacrity  upon  the  duties  which  war  had  so  suddenly 
placed  upon  them,  and  under  the  instructions  of  the  Town  at  its  April 
neeting,  they  at  once  urge  forward  the  necessary  enlistments,  and  took 
neasures  to  secure  comfort  for  the  soldier  in  the  field  and  for  his  family  at 
lome.  In  the  performance  of  these  duties,  the  visits  of  Captain  Cunning- 
ham, Captain  Snow  and  Mr.  Guild  to  Washington  and  the  camps  were 
frequent. 

Calls  for  Troops. 

At  the  first  alarm,  Captain  Brastow  had  called  together  the  Somerville 
Light  Infantry ;  this  was  on  April  17,  and  on  the  19th  the  Company  with  its 
valiant  Captain  were  in  camp,  and  a  few  days  later,  on  their  way  to  the 
front,  serving  more  than  the  term  for  which  they  enlisted. 

On  May  25,  1862,  the  National  Capital  being  again  threatened.  Gov- 
ernor Andrew  called  out  the  State  Militia,  who  assembled  on  Boston  Com- 
mon in  readiness  for  an  expected  summons  from  the  President.  The  Somer- 
ville Company,  under  Captain  W.  E.  Robinson,  answered,  but  their  services 
were  not  then  required,  and  they  returned  home. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  President  Lintoln  made  his  famous  call  for  "  three 
hundred  thousand  more,"  under  which  the  quota  of  Somerville  was  ninety- 
two.  The  Selectmen  began  immediately  to  raise  a  full  company  which  was 
to  be  known  as  the  "  Somerville  Guard." 

From  this  time  on  recruiting  became  more  difficult.  A  town  meeting 
was  held  July  19,  and  a  "committee  of  sixty"  citizens  appointed  to  co- 
operate with  the  Selectmen  in  all  matters  of  enlistment  to  fill  the  quota. 

Mass  meetings,  with  patriotic  addresses  and  martial  music,  were  again 
held  to  promote  volunteering,  and  in  August  a  bounty  of  one  hundred 
dollars  to  every  recruit  was  offered,  which  was  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  dollars  by  private  subscription. 

The  Company's  camp  was  on  Prospect  Hill,  where  it  remained  for 
several  weeks.  Ultimately  it  was  attached  to  the  39th  regiment,  as  Com- 
pany "  E,"  and  under  command  of  Captain  Fred  R.  Kinsley  it  proceeded 
to  the  front,  where  it  "  proved  an  honor  to  the  Town  and  the  State." 

Very  soon  came  another  requisition  for  troops,  a  second  "  three  hun- 
dred thousand  more,"  and  the  old  5th  again  responded. 

The  Somerville  Light  Infantry,  which  at  its  first  enlistment  was  Com- 
pany "  I,"  now  became  Company  "  B,"  of  the  same  regiment. 

Upon  the  departure  of  the  "  Somerville  Guard,"  its  camp  on  Prospect 
Hill  was  occupied  by  this  company,  now  commanded  by  Captain  Benjamin 
F.  Parker.  Here  it  remained  until  September  6,  when  it  joined  the 
regiment  at  Washington.  On  October  22,  it  left  for  Newbern,  North  Caro- 
lina. 

Meanwhile  the  Town  had  raised  its  bounty  for  volunteers  to  two  hun- 
dred dollars. 


48  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

Under  these  two  "three  hundred  thousand  more"  calls,  Somerville 
furnished  about  five  hundred  and  sixty-eight  men,  at  a  net  cost  for  bounties 
and  all  other  expenses  of  thirty-two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-four 
do  lars,  beside  which,  up  to  June  i,  1863,  the  town  had  expended  in  aid  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  families,  the  sum  of  thirteen  thousand  and  sixty 
dollars. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1863,  there  were  from  Somerville,  two  full 
companies  in  the  field,  beside  about  three  hundred  other  officers  and  men, 
in  various  regiments  from  Massachusetts,  and  other  loyal  states. 

In  June,  1863,  the  Somerville  Light  Infantry,  whose  term  of  nine  months 
had  expired,  returned  to  Somerville,  and  was  heartily  welcomed  home  by 
the  citizens,  the  company  having  lost  but  one  man,  Samuel  G.  Tompkins. 

In  July,  1863,  a  demand  on  Somerville  was  made  for  one  hundred  and 
eighty-six  men,  and  a  draft  ordered.  Of  this  number  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  responded  promptly,  without  waiting  to  be  drafted. 

The  third  call  for  three  hundred  thousand  came  in  October,  with  a 
requisition  on  Somerville  for  ninety-two,  the  same  number  as  in  the  first 
call,  which  were  required  by  January  5,  1864. 

Bounties  were  now  offered  by  the  State.  Volunteering  being  exceed- 
ingly slow,  war  meetings  were  held,  and  the  enrolled  men  (those  liable  to 
military  duty)  of  the  Town  were  called  together,  which  resulted  in  a  liberal 
financial  response,  and  enabled  the  "  War  Committee  "  to  follow  the  lead  of 
other  towns  and  obtain  recruits  from  wherever  they  could  be  procured ;  by 
February  i,  the  limit  having  been  extended,  the  town's  quota  was  filled. 

Another  call  for  two  hundred  thousand  came,  and  to  it  Somerville  again 
promptly  responded. 

In  July,  1864,  an  assessment  of  $30,000  was. levied  upon  the  citizens, 
the  share  charged  enrolled  men  being  greater  in  proportion  than  to  others. 
Under  this  measure  the  town  ultimately  received  and  disbursed  $15,609. 

Between  October  17,  1864,  and  March  i,  1865,  five  hundred  and  nine 
men  were  asked  for  from  Somerville,  and  six  hundred  and  twenty  furnished, 
which  left  one  hundred  and  eleven  men  to  be  credited  the  town  upon  any 
future  call. 

Somerville  Troops. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  Somerville  companies  during  the 
war,  giving  their  terms  of  service  and  names  of  officers  :  — 

Company  I,  5  th  Regiment.  April  19  to  July  31, 1861.  Captain,  George 
O.  Brastow.     ist  Lt.,  William  E.  Robinson.     2d  Lt.,  Frederick  R.  Kinsley. 

Company  B,  5th  Regiment.  May,  1862.  Under  command  of  Captain 
William  E.  Robinson.  Ordered  out  by  Governor  Andrew,  but  not  being 
needed,  returned  home. 

Company  E,  39th  Regiment.  August  12,  1862,  to  June  2,  1865.  Captain, 
Frederick  R.  Kinsley,  ist  Lt,  Joseph  J.  Giles.  2dLt.,  Willard  C.  Kinsley 
(promoted  to  Captain).  And  the  following  by  promotion  —  viz. :  Captain 
Melville  C.  Parkhurst.  ist  Lt.,  John  H.  Dusseault.  2d  Lt.,  Edwin  Mills. 
2d  Lt.,  George  A.  Bodge. 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  49 

Company  B,  5th  Regiment.  September  19, 1862,  to  July  2, 1863.  Cap- 
tain, Benjamin  F.  Parker,  ist  Lt.,  Walter  C  Bailey.  2d  Lt.,  John  Har- 
rington. 

Company  B,  5th  Regiment.  July  25,  1864,  to  Nov.  16,  1864.  Captain, 
Tohn  N.  Coffin,  ist  Lt,  Charles  T.  Robinson.  2d  Lt,  Granville  W.  Daniels. 

The  service  of  these  various  companies  at  the  front  calls  for  special 
mention. 

Company  I,  Fifth  Regiment.  —  Three  Months. 

The  Somerville  Light  Infantry,  Company  I,  under  command  of  Cap- 
tain Brastow,  left  Boston  for  Washington  on  Sunday,  April  21,  1861,  and 
arriving  there,  was  quartered  with  the  Regiment  in  the  Treasury  Building; 
after  which  it  was  ordered  to  Alexandria,  to  join  the  command  of  General 
Mansfield.  On  June  14,  it  was  reviewed  by  President  Lincoln  and  Cabinet, 
and  on  July  16,  ordered  forward  to  Centreville.  On  the  21st  it  had  its  first 
experience  in  battle  at  the  memorable  action  of  Bull  Run,  in  which  engage- 
Tient  the  Somerville  Light  Infantry  faithfully  sustained  its  part  and  the 
lonor  of  the  Town.  This  battle  was  fought  after  the  Regiment's  time  of 
service  had  expired. 

Somerville  lost  one  man  in  the  action,  Edward  F.  Hannaford,  and  an- 
other, William  F.  Moore,  died  at  Washington  of  disease. 

Company  B,  Fifth  Regiment.  —  Nine  Months. 

As  before  stated,  the  Fifth  Regiment,  in  its  nine  months'  campaign,  left 
Boston  on  October  22,  1862,  and,  after  a  five  days'  voyage,  arrived  at  New 
Berne,  N.  C,  on  the  27th.  Here  it  was  attached  to  the  brigade  commanded 
by  Colonel  Horace  C.  Lee  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Massachusetts  Regiment, 
the  department  being  under  command  of  Major-General  Foster. 

Even  before  its  muskets  had  arrived,  the  Regiment  received  orders  to 
be  in  readiness  for  an  expedition,  and  on  October  30  embarked  for  Wash- 
ington, N.  C,  whence,  with  other  forces,  it  marched  for  Williamston.  After 
some  skirmishing,  nothing  else  important  transpiring,  it  returned  to  camp, 
November  13,  having  marched  one  hundred  and  sixty  miles.  In  December  it 
took  part  in  the  expedition  to  Goldsboro,  forming  the  left  of  the  column. 
The  object  of  the  movement  was  the  destruction  of  the  Weldon  Railroad. 
On  the  14th  it  was  attacked  by  the  enemy,  whom  it  repulsed  and  drove 
in  great  disorder  towards  Kinston.  On  the  i6th  occurred  the  battle 
of  Whitehall,  near  which  place  the  army  had  bivouacked,  in  which  the 
Union  forces  were  again  victorious.  On  the  17th  the  column  was  again  in 
motion,  and  reached  the  railroad  about  noon.  The  railroad  bridge  over  the 
Neuse  River  was  soon  destroyed,  and  wires  cut,  which  work  was  accom- 
plished under  fire  of  the  enemy. 

The  destruction  completed,  the  troops  returned,  the  Fifth  Regiment 
acting  as  rear  guard  "  supporting  battery,"  and  encountering  and  repulsing 
repeated  attacks  of  the  Confederates,  and  reaching  camp  on  December  3 1 . 

After  various  marches  and  reconnoissances,  on  May  22,  the  Union  for- 


50  SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

ces  appeared  before  the  strong  works  of  the  rebels  at  Moseley  Creek  previ- 
ously reconnoitred  by  the  Regiment,  and  which  by  a  simultaneous  attack 
in  front  and  rear  were  soon  captured,  with  two  hundred  prisoners  and  five 
hundred  stand  of  arms,  together  with  horses,  wagons  and  ammunition. 

The  remaining  service  was  principally  picket  and  similar  duty.  The 
Regiment  was  highly  complimented  by  General  Foster  for  its  faithful  ser- 
vice. It  returned  to  Boston  June  26,  and  was  mustered  out  at  Wenham  on 
July  2. 

Company  B,  Fifth  Regiment.  —  One  Hundred  Days. 

On  July  25,  1864,  the  Fifth  was  for  the  third  time  mustered  into  the  ser- 
vice, and  on  the  28th,  under  Colonel  George  H.  Peirson,  again  left  for  the 
field.  Arriving  at  Baltimore,  they  went  into  camp  at  Mamkin's  Wood. 
Their  service  lasted  one  hundred  days,  the  term  of  their  enlistment,  during 
which  time  they  did  garrison  duty  at  Forts  McHenry  and  Marshall  in  Bal- 
timore, and  guard  duty  at  the  "Lazarette  Magazine,"  and  in  charge  of 
prisoners.  They  arrived  home  November  7,  1865,  and  were  mustered  out 
November  16. 

Company  E,  Thirty-Ninth  Regiment.  —  Three  Years. 

The  "  Somerville  Guard,"  under  command  of  Captain  Frederick  R. 
Kinsley,  Company  E,  Thirty-ninth  Regiment,  which  was  mustered  into  ser- 
vice August  12,  1862,  first  went  into  camp  at  Lynnfield,  and  then  at  Boxford, 
Massachusetts.  From  the  latter  place,  on  September  6,  it  left  for  Washing- 
ton, arriving  on  the  8th.  On  the  9th,  the  Regiment  was  ordered  to  "  Camp 
Chase,"  across  Long  Bridge.  From  this  time  until  the  next  July,  it  formed 
part  of  the  force  guarding  the  line  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  City  of  Wash- 
ington and  other  important  points  in  that  department.  On  the  9th  of  July, 
1863,  it  was  ordered  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and,  on  arriving,  marched  at  once 
to  Maryland  Heights.  On  the  13th,  it  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
forming  a  part  of  the  Second  Division,  First  Army  Corps.  From  this  time 
the  Regiment  was  under  constant  marching  orders,  guarding  positions,  sup- 
porting cavalry  and  kindred  service,  until  November  27,  when  it  confronted 
the  enemy  at  Mine  Run. 

On  the  28th,  Companies  E  and  C  were  deployed  as  skirmishers,  cover- 
ing the  front  of  the  brigade  during  the  engagement.  There  they  remained 
in  line  of  battle  until  December  i,  when  the  Union  Army  retreated.  No 
movement  of  importance  occurred  after  this  until  May,  1 864,  at  which  time 
the  Regiment  took  part  in  the  campaign  of  the  Wilderness,  where  on  the 
5th,  6th  and  8th,  it  had  engagements  at  Brock's  Pike  and  Laurel  Hill,  driv- 
ing in  the  enemy's  cavalry  and  battery,  but,  finally  meeting  with  superior 
numbers  posted  behind  breastworks,  the  Regiment  was  forced  to  fall 
back.  On  the  loth,  it  was  again  in  the  front  under  heavy  infantry  and 
artillery  fire,  and  here  Lieutenant  Edwin  Mills  of  the  Somerville  Company 
was  among  the  wounded. 

The  Regiment  soon  after  marched  to  Spottsylvania,  and  on  the  26th,  to 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  5  I 

Lethesda  Church,  where,  as  skirmishers,  it  remained  almost  continually  en- 
gaged until  June  5.  On  that  night  it  quietly  withdrew.  After  various  marches 
il  arrived  at  Petersburg  on  July  16,  remaining  exposed  much  of  the  time  to 
tie  fire  of  artillery  and  sharpshooters  in  its  vicinity,  until  August  1 8,  when 
ii:  joined  the  expedition  against  the  Weldon  Railroad,  and  immediately  en- 
gaged the  enemy,  the  action  being  continued  on  the  19th.  In  this  battle, 
('olonel  Peirson  was  dangerously  wounded,  Captain  Fred.  R.  Kinsley  taken 
prisoner,  and  Lieutenant  J.  H.  Dusseault wounded,  both  the  latter  of  Com- 
pany "  E  "  (Somerville). 

The  loss  of  the  Regiment  in  these  two  days, was  eleven  killed,  thirty-two 
i^ounded  and  two  hundred  and  forty-five  missing.  After  many  vicissitudes, 
skirmishes  and  arduous  marches,  the  Regiment,  on  December  7,  found  it- 
self again  near  the  Weldon  Railroad  as  skirmishers  and  in  action  with  the 
( nemy,  after  which,  and  destroying  the  railroad  by  burning  its  ties  and 
l)ending  its  rails,  the  Regiment  was  ordered  to  cover  the  rear  of  the  army 
mow  falling  back),  which  was  greatly  annoyed  by  the  enemy's  cavalry. 

The  casualties  of  the  Regiment  during  1864  were  thirty-five  killed,  one 
liundred  and  ninety-one  wounded,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  missing 
;ind  prisoners. 

On  February  6,  1865,  the  Regiment  held  the  right  of  the  line  in  the  ad- 
vance at  Dabney's  Mills,  where  the  enemy's  works, -^though  finally  taken,  had 
;o  be  abandoned  by  the  captors  for  want  of  support.  The  assault  was  re- 
lewed  on  the  7th,  but  was  again  unsuccessful. 

On  the  loth  the  Regiment  broke  camp  and  went  into  winter  quarters 
tiear  Hatcher's  Run. 

In  March  the  spring  campaign  opened,  and  on  the  31st  a  move  was 
made  to  Gravelly  Run,  where  the  enemy  in  strong  force  opened  the  attack, 
pushing  back  the  39th,  which  had  been  hurriedly  deployed  as  skirmishers, 
and  which  left  many  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.  Later,  upon  the  arrival 
of  reinforcements,  the  lost  ground  was  regained.  In  this  action  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Tremlett  was  mortally  wounded,  and  Somerville  lost  her  heroic  son. 
Captain  Willard  C.  Kinsley,  who  was  wounded,  and  died  the  next  morning. 
Speaking  of  him,  the  official  account  of  the  battle  says,  "  The  Regiment  lost 
one  of  its  most  popular  and  loved  officers,  as  well  as  one  of  its  best  soldiers." 

On  the  next  day,  April  i,  the  Corps  united  with  Sheridan's  Cavalry  at 
Five  Forks,  the  Regiment  taking  part  in  the  charge  and  victory  of  that  day. 
It  occupied  a  position  near  the  center  of  the  line,  and  the  report  says, 
"  This  battle  of  Five  Forks  was  the  most  successful  one  that  the  Regiment 
was  ever  engaged  in.  Almost  the  entire  force  opposed  to  us  was  captured, 
and  their  rout  was  complete." 

By  the  9th  of  April,  the  39th  was  at  Appomattox  Court  House,  where 
soon  after  its  arrival  "  all  hostilities  suddenly  ceased,  and  later  in  the  day, 
the  entire  army  opposed  to  us  surrendered." 

On  May  i,  the  Regiment  began  its  march  to  Washington.  It  was  now 
under  the  command  of  Major  F.  R.  Kinsley,  the  former  Captain  of  Com- 
pany E  (Somerville  Guard),  who,  from  the  previous  August  until  recently. 


52 


SOMERV/LLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


had  been  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates.  It  arrived  at  Arling- 
ton Heights  on  May  12,  and  took  part  in  the  "  Grand  Review,"  at  Washing- 
tor,  on  May  22.  On  June  2,  it  was  mustered  out  of  the  United  States 
service,  and  arriving  in  Massachusetts  went  into  camp  at  Readville,  where 
soon  after  it  was  paid  off,  and  returned  home. 

Number  of  Men  in  the  War. 

During  the  war,  Somerville,  according  to  Captain  Cunningham,  its 
recruiting  agent,  enlisted  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-five  men, 
or  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  more  than  were  called  for,  of  whom  ninety- 
eight  were  killed  or  died  in  the  service,  and  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
were  wounded,  and  many  taken  prisoners. 

*  Besides  the  regular  organizations  whose  services,  as  Somerville  com- 
panies, have  been  sketched,  there  were  hundreds  of  others  in  the  various 
regiments  of  this  and  other  States,  and  in  the  regular  army  and  the  navy, 
under  Butler,  Banks,  Grant,  Farragut  and  other  commanders.  Their  per- 
sonal services  and  sufferings  in  the  war,  though  most  worthy  of  record, 
cannot,  in  the  space  allowed,  be  here  written. 

The  Martyr  Roll. 
The  following  is  the  Roll  of  those  who  gave  their  lives  for  the  Union. 
Killed  in  Battle  or  Died  of  Wounds. 


August  Benz, 
Edward  E.  Brackett, 
William  Berry, 
Martin  Bradburn, 
William  Connellon, 
Frank  E.  Doherty, 
Michael  Driscoll, 
John  Ducey, 
Samuel  O.  Felker, 
Frederick  A.  Galletly, 
Eugene  B.  Hadley, 
Edward  F.  Hannaford, 
William  M.  Herbon, 
Nathaniel  Hazeltine, 
Caleb  Howard, 


Edmund  H.  Kendall, 
David  Kendrick, 
Willard  C.  Kinsley, 
Edward  P.  Light, 
Edward  McDonald, 
Patrick  McCarty, 
William  McDonald, 
H.  McGlone, 
J.  McGuire, 
Owen  Mclntire, 
James  McLaughlin, 
Corporal  (?)  Moran, 
James  Millen, 
James  Moran, 
N.  Fletcher  Nelson, 


Anton  Otto, 
Jeremiah  T.  Paine, 
William  D.  Palmer, 
William  Plant, 
Robert  Powers, 
Fred.  G.  Pruden, 
William  Reeves, 
William  P.  Ruggles, 
John  H.  Rafferty, 
John  Van  De  Sande, 
C.  C.  Walden, 
John  F.  Waldon, 
William  W.  Wardell, 
Nathan  W.  Wilson. 


Died  in  Hospital^  Camp,  or  Prison. 


George  W.  Ayres, 
Henry  Ashton, 
Jonathan  Atkinson, 
Luther  V.  Bell, 
William  H.  Bartlett, 
William  Blackwell, 


Charles  L.  Carter, 
Edwin  D.  Gate, 
Michael  Clifford, 
John  W.  Coffee, 
Norman  Davis, 
Frederick  A.  Glines, 


David  Gorham, 
George  H.  Hatch, 
Patrick  Hayes, 
Moses  Hazeltine, 
George  Hiscock, 
John  Holland, 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


S3 


Jchn  E.  Horton, 
Henry  E.  Howe, 
Richard  J.  Hyde, 
Charles  G.  Jones, 
E  F.  Kenniston, 
J.  W.  Langley, 
Alvin  G.  Love  joy, 
\^'ashington  Lovett, 
Elias  Manning, 
Louis  Mathi, 
Edward  McDonald, 

James  Caiferty, 


Francis  McQuade, 
Charles  M.  Miller, 
William  F.  Moore, 
Henry  McVey, 
Thomas  Neville, 
John  O'Brien, 
Francis  J.  Oliver, 
Charles  H.  Perry, 
Albert  W.  Phillips, 
Timothy  H.  Pitman, 
Leonard  F.  Purington, 

Missing. 
John  S.  Roberts, 


Sumner  P.  Rollins, 
Patrick  Sheridan, 
William  E.  Spurr, 
Alonzo  W.  Temple, 
Frank  W.  Thompson, 
Samuel  G.  Tompkins, 
William  H.  Blackwell, 
John  S.  Van  Cluff, 
Isaac  C.  Whittemore, 
Joseph  W.  Whitmore, 
Charles  Young. 

Albert  E.  Mitchell. 


This  list  may  not  be  complete,  and  is  probably  otherwise  imperfect, 
a  J  the  records  are  meagre. 

In  the  years  to  come,  when  the  sorrows  of  the  widow  and  orphan  are 
forgotten,  Somerville  will  still  recall  with,  perhaps,  increasing  pride,  the 
services  of  her  soldiers  in  the  Union  Army  in  the  Civil  War.  Their  memory 
deserves  a  more  lasting  tribute  than  tradition,  and  the  city  has  well  begun 
upon  the  work  of  their  record,  which,  under  the  City  Clerk,  has  already  made 
s  jme  progress.  It  is  a  work  in  which  every  citizen  should  be  interested, 
and  to  which  all  should  give  every  possible  aid  as  the  object,  when  attained 
--the  preservation  of  the  story  of  the  personal  services  of  each  Somerville 
s  Dldier  —  must  receive  the  hearty  approval  of  all,  whose  friends  took  part 
i  1  the  great  struggle. 


CHAPTER   X. 

The  Town  from  i86i  to  1872. 

]  MPROVEMENT     OF     HIGHWAYS.  —   GaS     INTRODUCED.  —  WATER     SUPPLY.  —  SeWERS.  — 

Great  Improvements. — Central  Hill  Park.  —  Horse  Railroads.  —  The  Town 
Farm.  —  Attempts  to  Divide  the  Town.  —  City  Charter  and  Hall.  —  First 
City  Election, 

Highways. 

Notwithstanding  the  continuous  and  unusual  demands  of  the  four 
wears'  war,  the  regular  business  of  the  town  was  not  neglected.  Public  im- 
provements and  private  enterprises  were  inaugurated,  and  the  industries  of 
Deace  thrived  as  well  as  those  of  war. 

The  population  increased  during  this  period  from  8,025  in  i860,  to  9,353 
n  1865,  and  in  1870  it  numbered  14,693.  With  this  increase  came  calls  for 
lew  roads  and  for  improvement  of  the  old  ones,  and  considering  the  times, 
:hey  were  met  with  reasonable  liberality. 

The  work  accomplished  during  this  period  was  too  extensive  for  more 
than  general  notice  here.    Streets  were  graded  and  macadamized,  brick 


54  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

sidewalks  built,  edgestones  set,  gutters  paved,  road-bridges  rebuilt,  streets 
watered  and  lighted,  and  new  ways  laid  out  —  fresh  strands  in  the  network 
of  thoroughfares.  In  fact,  then  began  the  transition  from  poor  to  fair  or 
good  roads. 

Among  the  principal  improvements  during  these  eleven  years,  were  the 
building  of  College  avenue,  Holland  street,  Highland  avenue  to  Davis 
square,  Prescott  and  Putnam  streets,  the  westerly  part  of  Pearl  street,  the 
easterly  portion  of  Summer  street,  and  the  widening  and  grading  of  Walnut 
and  School  streets,  and  of  Willow  avenue. 

In  1862  the  long  neglected  work  of  lowering,  widening  and  paving  the 
Washington  street  roadway,  under  the  Lowell  railroad,  was  finished ;  the 
bridge  and  tracks,  at  the  same  time,  being  raised.  This  low  spot  formerly 
connected  by  an  underground  drain  with  Miller's  river;  but  in  a  storm 
which  occurred  on  February  22,  i860,  this  old  drain  was  either  too  small  or 
became  choked,  and  the  place  filled  with  water,  into  which  an  unfortunate 
hack  was  driven,  nearly  drowning  its  occupants,  and  resulting,  later,  in 
heavy  damages  against  the  town  and  railroad. 

Some  of  the  highway  enterprises  proposed  during  the  later  years  of  the 
town  did  not  meet  with  the  hearty  co-operation  of  its  officers.  Among 
these  were  the  three  new  avenues  ordered  by  the  county  commissioners, 
and  running  from  Medford  into  Somerville.  College  avenue,  laid  out  in 
i860,  and  built  in  1861,  and  Boston  and  Middlesex  avenues,  ordered  or  de- 
cided on  in  1871.  These  measures  were  strenuously,  though  unsuccessfully, 
opposed  by  the  selectmen.  Of  College  avenue,  they  say  that  they  believe 
"  that  neither  the  town,  nor  the  public,  require  the  laying  out  of  such  a 
street,  but  that  it  was  for  private  purposes  and  private  speculation."  Boston 
and  Middlesex  avenues  each  crossed  Mystic  river,  and  bridges  were  re- 
quired. Boston  avenue  commencing  at  West  Medford,  crossed  the  river  at 
the  site  of  the  old  Middlesex  canal  bridge,  the  old  stone  piers  and  abutment 
being  used  for  the  new  bridge.  The  avenue  ended  at  College  avenue,  but 
has  more  recently  been  extended  to  Broadway. 

Middlesex  avenue  was  the  extension  of  a  highway  from  Stoneham  and 
Maiden,  across  the  Wellington  farm  in  Medford,  and  over  the  Mystic  river 
and  Ten  Hills  farm  to  Mystic  avenue  in  Somerville.  This  was  first  asked 
for  in  1869.  The  selectmen  voted  to  oppose  this  "road  to  Mystic  avenue, 
or  at  any  other  point  in  Somerville,  not  feeling  that  benefits  equal  to  the 
large  expense  to  be  incurred  could  ever  be  derived  by  the  Town." 

An  act  empowering  the  county  commissioners  to  lay  out  this  highway 
was  passed  in  1869,  and  though  decided  on  in  187 1,  was  not  built  until  two 
years  later. 

These  avenues,  laid  out  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  have  yet  very  few 
buildings  or  improvements,  and  so  far  have  principally  benefited  neighbor- 
ing towns. 

The  laying  out  of  Mystic  avenue  (Medford  turnpike)  as  a  public  way 
also  encountered  the  opposition  of  the  town,  and  every  effort  possible  was 
made  to  prevent  it,  including  employment  of  counsel  and  appeal  to  the 


1 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  55 

1  sgislature,  as  the  avenue  up  to  this  time  had  been  property  of  the  Medford 
Turnpike  corporation,  who  wished  to  abandon  it  and  throw  the  burden  of 
its  maintenance  on  the  towns,  which  in  1867  they  accomplished,  since 
which  time  it  has  been  a  county  highway. 

Gas. 

Under  authority  of  acts  of  the  legislature  passed  in  1853,  gas  was  intro- 
duced into  the  town  by  the  Charlestown  Gas  Company  and  by  the  Cam- 
Dridge  Gas  Company,  the  dividing  line  between  the  territory  within  which 
2ach  company  could  lay  its  pipes  being  the  Lowell  railroad.  It  was  ten 
^ears  later  before  street  lighting  became  general.  In  1863  the  town  voted 
to  pay  the  expense  of  lighting  such  street-lamps  as  the  abuttors  should 
furnish  at  their  own  expense.  Under  this  vote  ninety-two  lamp-posts  and 
lamps  were  put  up.  This  was  the  commencement  of  our  system  of  street 
lighting.  By  1871  the  number  of  lamps  had  increased  to  two  hundred  and 
thirty-four. 

Water  Supply. 

The  laying  of  the  Charlestown  water-main  from  Walnut  Hill  reservoir 
through  the  town  opened  the  way  for  a  water-supply  for  Somerville  which 
was  authorized  by  legislative  enactments  in  1866  and  in  1868,  and  negotia- 
tions with  Charlestown  entered  into,  which  resulted  in  a  contract  with  that 
city.  This  contract,  though  not  entirely  satisfactory  in  its  terms,  secured 
to  Somerville  its  present  supply.  An  experienced  engineer,  Mr.  Roberdeau 
Buchanan,  was  engaged  and  a  pipe  system  for  the  town  planned,  and  before 
the  close  of  the  year  some  two  miles  or  more  of  pipe  were  laid. 

The  Charlestown  act  of  1861  gave  authority  for  supplying  water  to 
hydrants  in  Somerville,  and  meanwhile  many  were  set.  In  1866  the  first 
steam  fire-engine  was  purchased  replacing  the  old  "  Somerville  One,"  which, 
like  its  predecessor,  "  Mystic  Six,"  was  stored  for  a  while  and  then  sold. 

Sewers. 

With  the  introduction  of  water  came  the  demand  for  sewers.  Before 
the  war  there  were  no  public  sewers  in  the  town.  There  were  one  or  two 
private  drains  in  East  Somerville,  running  across  lots,  and  some  others 
crudely  built  with  brick  invert  and  stone  covering,  in  Oak  and  other  private 
streets  west  of  Prospect. 

The  first  public  sewer  was  built  in  Marshall  street  in  1867,  Messrs. 
Winning  and  Gordon  being  the  contractors ;  the  work  cost  about  two  thou- 
sand dollars. 

In  1 868,  sewers  were  laid  in  three  different  sections  of  the  town  ;  over 
a  mile  in  all.  The  first  was  the  Linwood  street,  with  laterals  in  Fitchburg 
and  Poplar  streets ;  its  outlet  was  into  Miller's  river.  The  second  ran  from 
the  southerly  end  of  Bow  street,  across  Union  square  to  the  creek  in  Web- 
ster avenue,  and  the  third  extended  from  Summer  street,  down  Harvard, 
Beech  and  Spring  streets,  across  Somerville  avenue  and  through  Kent  street 


56  SOMERVILLE,    PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

to  the  railroad  ditch.  The  three  sections  costing  nine  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  dollars. 

Calls  for  sewers  now  became  frequent,  and  in  1869  a  general  survey 
and  plan  was  ordered,  for  a  sewer  system,  in  conformity  to  which  future 
sewers  were  to  be  constructed.  It  was  also  recommended  that  "  Some 
order  should  be  taken,  looking  to  the  construction  of  trunk  sewers."  The 
survey  and  plan,  thus  outlined,  were  commenced  but  never  completed. 
The  want  of  proper  outlets  and  the  necessity  for  strict  economy  were  serious 
obstacles. 

In  1869,  3,986  feet  of  new  sewers  were  laid,  and  2,078  feet  of  private 
sewers  purchased  by  the  town,  at  a  cost  in  all,  of  about  1 12,000. 

In  1870  and  1871  a  large  number  of  sewers  were  built.  In  1870,  18,380 
feet,  costing $49,304  ;  and  in  187 1, 11,937  feet,  costing  $24,042.  The  principal 
were  as  follows :  in  Elm  and  Milk  streets  from  Cherry  to  Prospect.  In 
Medford  street  from  the  Fitchburg  railroad  to  Grand  Junction  railroad.  In 
Mystic  avenue  from  the  Maine  railroad  northerly.  In  Perkins  and  Mount 
Pleasant  streets  and  Broadway.  In  Broadway  from  Marshall  street  and 
across  the  present  park,  to  the  creek  beyond  Mystic  avenue.  In  Broadway 
from  Broadway  park,  to  Cross  street,  and  in  Cross  street  to  a  culvert  near 
Pearl.  In  Lincoln,  Arlington  and  Franklin  streets ;  in  Putnam  and  Pres- 
cott  streets ;  and  in  Summer  and  Bow  streets  from  School  to  Walnut  street. 
In  Glen  and  Brooks  streets.  In  Otis  street,  in  Vinal  avenue  and  in  School 
street.  The  difficult  problem  in  all  the  foregoing  work  was  that  of  an  out- 
let. Every  sewer,  up  to  this  time,  emptied  into  some  ditch  or  water-course, 
and  many  then  built  still  continue  to  do  so. 

Other  Town  Matters. 

The  years  1870  and  1871  were  busy  ones  for  the  town  government. 
Besides  extensive  sewer  and  highway  constructions,  many  other  prominent 
matters  claimed  consideration ;  among  the  more  important  were  the  organ- 
ization of  a  police  force,  the  purchase  of  the  Central  Hill  park,  the  build- 
ing of  the  new  engine-house  thereon,  and  stables  on  the  town  farm,  all  in 
1870.  The  consideration  of  the  proposed  Middlesex  and  Boston  avenue 
bridges,  ordered  by  the  county  over  Mystic  river,  the  erection  of  a  new  high 
school  building  in  1871,  the  enforcement  of  the  liquor  law,  the  defense  of 
the  town  against  claims,  and  damage  suits.  The  preparation  of  the  city 
charter,  and  the  consequent  legislation.  The  division  of  the  proposed  city 
into  wards,  and  the  arrangements  necessary  for  the  election  of  city  officers. 

Central  Hill  Park. 

One  of  the  most  important  of  the  foregoing  was  the  purchase  of  the 
present  Central  Hill  park  land  in  1870.  This  land  formerly  belonged  to 
Jacob  Sleeper  of  Boston.  It  cost  the  town  about  thirty-eight  thousand 
dollars.  It  was  what  was  known  in  1788  as  one  of  the  "  Church  lots,"  being 
then  the  property  of  the  "  First  Church  of  Charlestown."  This  purchase 
did  not  meet  the  entire  approval  of  the  citizens,  many  thinking  that  Pros- 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  57 

f  ect  hill,  with  its  extensive  views  and  hallowed  memories,  was  a  more  appro- 
priate location  for  public  grounds  and  buildings,  and  that  it  could  have 
been  bought  at  a  smaller  price ;  concerning  it,  the  selectmen  say :  "  This 
purchase  definitely  settled  the  question  of  a  recognized  center.  This  ques- 
tion being  no  longer  in  dispute,  plans  for  the  future  development  of  the 
town  may  be  made  with  especial  reference  to  this  fact."  This  was  the 
first  of  Somerville  parks,  and  the  only  one  before  it  became  a  city. 

Horse  Railroads. 

In  1 86 1  a  survey  was  made  for  a  proposed  street  railway  from  Union 
square  through  Somerville  avenue  to  East  Cambridge,  and  thence  to  Sud- 
oury  street  in  Boston. 

The  originator  of  this  project  was  General  William  L.  Burt,  afterward 
postmaster  of  Boston. 

The  work  was  finished  in  1864,  and  was  the  first  railway  in  Somerville, 
built  in  the  middle  of  the  street.  A  location  was  granted  for  another  road 
through  Franklin  and  Pearl  streets,  but  it  was  never  built. 

The  inconvenience  of  railroad  tracks  at  the  sides  of  the  streets  was 
soon  recognized,  and  efforts  made  for  their  removal  to  the  center,  opposed 
and  delayed  of  course  by  the  companies ;  but  in  i87rthis  change  was  made 
in  Somerville  avenue  and  Elm  street,  from  Union  square  to  Cherry  street, 
at  a  cost  to  the  town  of  about  $11,000 ;  and  by  1875  21II  others  had  been  re- 
moved from  side  to  center. 

Town  Farm. 

The  present  "town  farm"  was  originally  purchased  for  a  cemetery, but 
being  "swampy  and  wet"  it  was  abandoned  for  that  use.  In  1863  it  was 
put  up  at  auction,  but  "  the  bids  not  coming  up  to  the  views  of  the  board,  it 
was  not  sold."  The  farm  "  from  long  neglect  had  become  almost  a  barren 
waste,"  in  1864,  at  an  expense  of  about  eight  hundred  dollars,  the  brush 
and  stone  were  removed  from  it  and  the  land  thoroughly  tile-drained.  In 
1871  a  "stable"  and  "hay  barn"  "separated  by  a  brick  wall  and  fire-proof 
door  "  were  built  on  the  estate,  with  stalls  for  twenty  horses,  and  also  a 
"  neat  and  convenient  double  tenement  for  the  use  of  the  men." 

Attempts  to  Divide  the  Town. 

In  1865  an  attempt  was  made  to  annex  a  portion  of  West  Somerville  to 
Cambridge.  The  valuation  of  this  tract  was  about  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  The  matter  came  before  the  legislature,  was  successfully  opposed 
by  the  selectmen,  and  the  petitioners  given  leave  to  withdraw.  The  ground 
of  complaint  was  the  want  of  school  accommodations,  which  the  school 
committee  also  recognized,  and  which  brought  the  suggestion  from  the 
selectmen,  that  "  now  it  is  for  the  town  to  decide  whether  they  will  give  the 
required  accommodations,  and  thereby  prevent  another  petition  of  like 
nature  from  our  townsmen."  But  the  petitions  were  not  prevented;  for  in 
1 868  two  more  were  presented  to  the  General  Court,  asking  a  division  of 
the  town,  which  were  again  defeated. 


58  SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

City  Charter  and  Hall. 

It  was  probably  about  this  time  that  the  idea  of  a  city  charter  was  first 
entertained,  a  census,  this  year,  being  taken,  showing  the  population  of  the 
town  to  be  12,535,  ^^  more  than  requisite  for  a  city,  and  the  number  of 
houses,  1,933. 

In  1 87 1  the  new  high  schoolhouse  was  built,  and  soon  after,  the  present 
city  hall  (the  first  high  school)  vacated.  Anticipating  this  want,  the  select- 
men in  their  report  say  that  "  when  the  present  building  is  vacated,  we  re- 
commend its  removal  to  a  more  suitable  location  on  the  town  land,  near 
where  it  now  stands ;  and  that  its  external  architecture  be  modernized,  by 
adding  a  few  modest  ornaments,  so  that  the  general  appearance  of  this 
building  shall  moderately  correspond  with  the  buildings  erected  on  this 
land,"  and  further  suggest  that  a  "  suitable  lock  up  "  be  built  in  it,  and 
offices  for  the  selectmen  and  other  officials ;  thereby  "  deferring  for  many 
years  the  necessity  of  building  a  town  house  or  city  hall."  The  moderniz- 
ing of  its  "  external  architecture,"  after  a  lapse  of  twenty-five  years,  is  now 
being  accomplished. 

First  City  Election. 

On  April  14,  1871,  the  act  establishing  the  city  of  Somerville  was  ap- 
proved and  accepted  by  the  voters  at  a  town  meeting  held  for  that  purpose 
on  April  27.  On  December  4  the  first  city  election  occurred,  resulting  in 
the  choice  of  George  O.  Brastow  as  mayor,  and  of  a  board  of  aldermen  and 
councilmen  whose  names  are  given  in  the  history  of  the  city  government  in 
this  volume. 

In  this  historical  relation  of  the  town,  and  further  on  of  the  city,  mention 
of  schools,  churches  and  other  institutions,  and  of  the  town  and  city  de- 
partment are  purposely  curtailed  or  omitted,  as  they  are  treated  of  specially 
in  succeeding  chapters  of  this  book. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Somerville  as  a  City. 

Appreciation  in  Value  of  Real  Estate.  —  Great  Increase  of  Houses.  —  Steam 
Railroads.  —  Extension  of  Street  Railways.  —  West  End  Railway.  —  Widen- 
ing OF  Somerville  Avenue  and  Broadway.  —  The  Broadway  Park.  —  The 
Miller's  River  Nuisance.  —  Annexation  to  Boston  Discussed.  —  Parks  and 
Boulevards. — Tufts  College.  —  Old  Landmarks. 

In  January,  1872,  the  new  city  government  was  duly  installed  and  or- 
ganized. Their  names  are  mentioned  in  the  next  chapter.  The  officials 
placed  in  charge  of  the  several  departments  were  the  following :  — 

City  Clerk,  Charles  E.  Oilman ;  City  Treasurer  and  Collector,  Aaron 
Sargent;   City  Solicitor,  Selwin  Z.  Bowman;    City  Engineer,  Charles  D. 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AND  PRESENT.  59 

Elliot ;  City  Physician,  William  W.  Dow ;  Clerk  of  Council,  Solomon  Davis ; 
City  Messenger,  Jairus  Mann ;  Chief  of  Police,  Melville  C.  Parkhurst ; 
Superintendent  of  Streets,  Franklin  Henderson ;  Chief  of  Fire  Department, 
James  R.  Hopkins ;  Assessors,  John  C.  Magoun,  Sabin  M.  Smith,  Thomas 
Cunningham ;  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Joshua  H.  Davis. 

Real  Estate. 

The  building  of  horse-railroads  and  introduction  of  water,  sewers  and 
gas  gave  a  wonderful  impetus  to  real  estate  transactions,  which  even  the 
financial  depression  occurring  a  few  years  later  failed  to  check.  The 
erection  of  Masonic  Block  in  Union  square  by  Thomas  Cunningham, 
Robert  A.  Vinal,  C.  S.  Lincoln  and  Philip  Eberle  was  the  precursor  of  im- 
provements. In  1870  Pythian  Block  was  built,  followed  soon  by  Warren 
Block,  Odd  Fellows  Block,  Hill  Building,  and  the  block  adjacent  on  Somer- 
ville  avenue,  all  of  which  were  erected  by  Ira  Hill,  who  was  associated  in 
some  of  these  enterprises  with  Col.  Elijah  Walker,  Maj.  George  R.  Abbott 
and  Charles  E.  Lyon.  Mr.  Hill  alone,  or  with  his  associates,  laid  out  and 
built  over  several  tracts  of  land  in  the  years  from  1870  to  1874.  Among 
these  were  the  Warren  and  Columbus  avenue  districts,  the  territory  east  of 
Walnut  street  between  Boston  street  and  Highland  avenue,  including  the 
Grandview,  Pleasant  and  Summit  avenue  estates,  and  large  tracts  in  West 
Somerville  on  Holland  and  Elm  streets,  through  which  they  laid  out  Wal- 
lace, Chandler,  Winter  and  other  streets.  The  energy  of  Mr.  Hill  in  devel- 
oping real  estate  has  seldom  been  surpassed  in  the  town  or  city. 

Some  sections  of  the  city  developed  slowly  and  continuously,  as  East 
Somerville,  and  Spring  and  Central  Hills,  which  were  among  the  first  sec- 
tions lotted  for  the  market,  the  latter  two  by  the  enterprise  of  George  O. 
Brastow,  who  was  the  pioneer  in  the  development  of  those  sections,  fifty 
years  ago.  Other  parts  of  the  city  grew  rapidly,  as  Union,  Davis  and  Gil- 
man  squares  and  their  vicinities. 

Among  other  earlier  real  estate  ventures  while  Somerville  was  a  town 
may  be  mentioned  the  lotting  and  building  up  of  the  property  between 
Webster  avenue  and  Prospect  street,  and  west  of  that  street,  the  Oak  and 
Houghton  street  district,  the  owners  being  Francis  and  Amory  Houghton, 
the  projectors  of  the  Glass  Works.  Another  section  opened  up  by  Mr. 
Amory  Houghton  was  the  land  between  Somerville  avenue  and  the  Fitch- 
burg  railroad,  west  of  Dane  street  to  Park  street.  The  Dane,  Hudson  and 
Vine  streets  territory,  and  the  Joseph  Clark  estate  on  Newton,  Clark  and 
other  streets  were  also  put  on  the  market  before  the  war. 

During  the  war  real  estate  languished,  but  revived  a  few  years  after,  so 
that  the  period  from  1869  to  1875  saw  many  old  estates  laid  out  and  built 
over.  Among  these  were  the  Putnam,  Prescott  and  School  streets  territory, 
formerly  the  Jotham  Johnson  estate ;  the  Vinal  avenue,  Quincy  and  Church 
streets  territory,  formerly  the  property  of  Robert  Vinal ;  property  on  Pros- 
pect Hill,  built  over  and  marketed  by  Maj.  Granville  W.  Daniels;  the 
Newton  street,  Concord  avenue  and  Springfield  street  district,  owned  by 


60  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

John  O'Brien,  and  the  Clarendon  Hill  territory  by  John  W.  Vinal  and 
others. 

Then  came  another  period  of  business  and  real  estate .  depression, 
which  lasted  till  about  1880.  The  estates  that  have  been  laid  out  and  put 
upon  the  market  since  that  time  are  numerous,  the  larger  ones  being  the 
Stickney  estate  on  Broadway  and  School  street,  the  Oliver  Tufts  property 
between  School  and  Central  streets,  the  George  W.  Ireland  estate  on  School 
and  Summer  streets,  the  Hawkins  (or  Lake)  properties  on  Somerville  ave- 
nue and  Washington  street;  part  of  Mrs.  M.  P.  Lowe's  estate  on  Summer 
street,  the  R.  P.  Benton  land  on  Avon  and  Berkeley  streets,  the  Wyatt 
(brick-yard)  land  on  Washington  street,  the  Osgood  Dane  property  on 
Somerville  avenue  and  Granite  street,  the  A.  W.  Tufts  et  al.  property  on 
Pearl  street,  the  John  Runey  estate  on  Cross  street,  the  Wheeler  estate 
("Ox  pasture")  in  East  Somerville,  the  Harrington  and  Brine  land  on 
Spring  Hill,  the  Russell  estate  on  Elm  street,  the  Charles  Robinson  prop- 
erty on  Central  and  Medford  streets,  the  Trull  estate  on  Oxford  street,  the 
"Clark  and  Bennett  land"  on  Central  and  Gibbens  streets,  the  J.  C.  Ayer 
estate  on  Highland  avenue,  the  Nathan  Tufts  (Powder  House)  property, 
the  J.  M.  Shute  estates  on  Somerville  avenue.  Central  and  Cambria  streets 
and  Westwood  road,  the  Stearns  estate  (Polly  Swamp)  north  of  Highland 
avenue,  the  lands  on  the  northerly  slope  of  Spring  Hill,  laid  out  originally 
by  R.  H.  Conwell,  and  the  adjacent  estate  of  J.  D.  Prindle.  Most  of  the 
foregoing  have  been  built  up  within  the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years,  and  gener- 
ally with  a  class  of  houses  creditable  to  the  builders  and  the  city. 

Steam  Railroads. 

The  principal  factor  in  the  unprecedented  growth  of  West  Somerville 
was  the  building  of  the  Lexington  and  Arlington  railroad.  The  Lexington 
railroad  formerly  branched  from  the  Fitchburg  not  far  from  Fresh  Pond, 
but  in  1870  its  route  east  of  Alewife  Brook  was  changed  so  as  to  connect 
with  the  Lowell  railroad  at  Somerville  Junction.  Several  years  later  the 
Massachusetts  Central  obtained  its  location  over  the  Lowell  and  part  of 
this  new  Lexington  branch,  which,  meanwhile,  had  been  extended  to  Con- 
cord. With  the  exception  of  the  "  Mystic  river  "  freight  track  across  the 
Asylum  grounds,  these  two  steam  railroads  were  the  only  permanent  ones 
built  in  Somerville  since  the  war. 

A  railroad  branching  from  the  Boston  &  Maine  across  the  Ten  Hills 
farm,  thence  to  Winchester  and  beyond  was  projected  and  partially  graded 
andjafterwards  abandoned.     It  was  known  as  the  "  Mystic  Valley  Railroad." 

Street  Railroads. 

An  extension  of  the  Broadway  tracks  over  Winter  Hill  to  Medford  via 
Main  street  was  early  made.  It  was,  like  the  others,  a  side  track  T-rail 
road,  and  was  run  by  the  Charlestown  &  Medford  Railroad  Company.  The 
selectmen  ordered  it  to  the  center,  but  the  company  neglecting  or  refusing, 


SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  6 1 

its  location  in  Main  street  was  revoked.  In  1884  the  Middlesex  Company 
reopened  this  line,  the  change  to  the  center  of  the  street  meanwhile  having 
been  made. 

In  1 88 1  the  Charles  River  Street  Railway  was  organized,  and  soon  it 
laid  tracks  in  Summer  and  Bow  streets  and  through  Union  square  and 
Webster  avenue  to  Cambridge  street,  and  others  in  Newton,  Springfield 
and  Beacon  streets.  It  was  built  as  an  opposition  to  the  Cambridge,  whose 
tracks  its  charter  gave  it  the  right  to  use  from  Cambridge  to  Boston.  It 
was  a  popular  line,  but  not  being  a  financial  success,  in  1886  it  was  consoli- 
dated with  the  Cambridge.  The  same  year  the  Middlesex,  which  leased  or 
ran  several  of  the  other  Somerville  roads,  combined  with  the  Highland  (a 
South  Boston  line  which  ran  in  competition  with  the  Metropolitan),  taking 
the  name  Boston  Consolidated.  Meanwhile  the  Elm  street  tracks  had  been 
extended  up  Holland  street  to  Broadway. 

In  1886  two  rival  companies  for  Somerville  patronage,  the  Cambridge 
and  the  Consolidated,  petitioned  for  locations  in  Cross  and  Medford  streets 
and  Highland  avenue  to  Davis  square,  and  in  Pearl  and  Medford  streets  to 
Central  street.  The  contest  for  these  locations  was  vigorous  but  the  Con- 
solidated won,  and  by  the  close  of  1887  had  laid  tracks  in  most  of  these 
streets. 

West  End  Railway. 

"  The  West  End  Street  Railway  Company"  was  the  outgrowth  of  the 
West  End  Land  Company,  formed  by  Mr.  Henry  M.  Whitney  and  others  for 
the  development  of  real  estate  along  Beacon  street  in  Boston  and  BrookHne 
by  making  that  thoroughfare  a  broad  boulevard.  To  ensure  success  in  this 
enterprise  a  charter  was  procured  for  a  "  West  End  Street  Railway  "  over 
the  proposed  boulevard  location.  The  opposition  to  this  line  by  other 
street  railways  resulted  in  the  West  End  Railway  acquiring  controlling  in- 
terest in  all  the  other  roads  excepting  the  Lynn  &  Boston,  and  obtaining 
legislation  by  which  they  were  all  consolidated  under  the  management  of  the 
West  End,  which  was  finally  consummated  on  November  11,  1887. 

In  or  about  1889  the  overhead  electric  system  of  propulsion  was  intro- 
duced, after  a  careful  examination  had  been  made  by  Mr.  Whitney  of  its 
workings  in  Richmond,  Va.  It  was  first  applied  on  the  Beacon  street  and 
Brookline  routes  and  soon  became  general.  Within  a  few  years  the  West 
End  road  has  made  many  improvements  in  the  Somerville  service,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  increased  number  of  trips,  especially  on  the 
West  Somerville  line,  the  extension  of  that  line  to  Alewife  Brook,  and  of 
the  Medford  street  Une  to  Magoun  square,  the  recent  opening  of  the  new 
line  from  Highland  avenue  via  Medford  street  and  Somerville  avenue  to 
Boston,  together  with  improved  road-bed,  more  easy  riding  cars,  and  a  new 
and  liberal  system  of  transfers. 

Widening  of  Somerville  Avenue  and  Broadway. 

The  most  important  highway  improvements  since  1872  have  probably 
been  the  widening  of  Somerville  avenue,  and  paving  it,  and  the  adjacent 


62  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

thoroughfares,  and  the  widening  of  Broadway.  Soraerville  avenue  was 
formerly  fifty  feet  in  width,  but  in  1873  the  County  Commissioners  laid  it 
out  anew  seventy-five  feet  wide  from  East  Cambridge  to  Union  square  and 
sevei  ty  feet  from  Union  square  to  North  Cambridge.  The  lines  were  so 
run  that  only  one  or  two  shade  trees  and  very  few  buildings  required  re- 
moval. The  avenue,  over  two  miles  in  length,  was  rebuilt  to  its  new  width 
in  1874  at  a  cost  for  land  damages  of  $86,000,  and  for  construction  of  about 
$90,000. 

Broadway  was  widened  and  straightened  on  its  northerly  side  in  1875, 
making  it  two  hundred  feet  in  width  opposite  the  park.  This  measure  met 
with  serious  opposition,  speculative  motives  being  ascribed  to  its  originators. 
It  was  built  in  1874  and  1875,  and  cost  about  $75,000  for  land  and  construc- 
tion. 

Broadway  Park. 

With  the  Broadway  widening  was  associated  the  laying  out  and  con- 
struction of  the  Broadway  park :  they  were  mutual  enterprises.  The  park 
scheme  originated  with  the  owners  of  Convent  hill,  Messrs.  Klous  and  Lord. 
It  met  with  fierce  opposition,  and  its  effect  on  local  politics  was  volcanic, 
resulting,  in  1876,  in  a  complete  overturn  of  the  city  government  which  in- 
augurated it,  and  in  the  election  of  an  anti-park  administration.  The  feeling 
against  the  park  was  so  strong  that,  after  its  opponents  came  into  power,  it 
was  even  proposed  to  lay  it  out  anew  into  lots  and  sell  it  for  building  pur- 
poses. 

Most  of  the  ground  which  was  filled  over  for  the  park  was  an  old 
marsh,  so  soft  and  deep  that,  in  building  the  fence  around  it,  the  posts  were 
set  on  piles  and  a  timber  structure  on  piles  built  to  sustain  the  curbing  of 
the  pond,  the  bottom  of  which  has  a  double  flooring  of  boards  covered  with 
gravel  to  prevent  the  paving  sinking  into  the  mud. 

Miller's  River. 

Previous  to  1855,  and  perhaps  for  some  years  after.  Miller's  River  was  a 
comparatively  pure  stream ;  it  was  the  fishing  and  bathing  place  for  that 
section  of  the  town.  In  1855  Mr.  John  P.  Squire  purchased  a  lot  of  land 
on  the  East  Cambridge  side  of  the  river,  and  built  his  first  establishment, 
its  product  being  one  animal  daily.  At  first  this  caused  little  or  no  annoy- 
ance, but  the  phenomenal  growth  of  Mr.  Squire's  business,  and  the  building 
shortly  after  of  another  similar  establishment  by  Mr.  Charles  H.  North, 
followed  later  by  other  concerns,  soon  changed  the  Miller's  River  district 
into  a  malodorous  and  unenviable  locality.  It  was  several  years,  however, 
before  complaints  became  general.  The  first  reference  to  this  nuisance  by 
the  selectmen  was  in  their  report  of  1869 ;  and  in  their  report  of  1870  they 
say,  "  Slaughter  Houses,  Pork  and  Lard  factories,  are  questions  to  be  con- 
sidered. .  .  .  Shall  they  be  erected  and  maintained  on  or  near  our  main 
thoroughfares  and  in  the  midst  of  a  crowded  population  ?  .  .  .  Does  our 
town  become  more  attractive,  wholesome,  or  desirable  as  a  place  of  resort 
or  residence  ? "  etc. 


SOMERVILLE,  PAST  AIVD  PRESENT.  63 

Cambridge  meanwhile  had  taken  action  in  the  matter,  and  in  1872,  by 
the  combined  efforts  of  the  two  cities,  an  act  was  obtained,  supplemented  by 
others,  providing  for  the  abatement  of  the  nuisance  by  the  construction  of 
a  trunk  sewer  through  Somerville  avenue,  and  the  filling  of  the  Miller's 
River  basin.  This  work  was  begun  in  1873  and  completed  in  1874;  the 
sewer,  eight  feet  in  diameter  inside,  being  one  of  the  largest  ever  built  in 
Boston  or  vicinity. 

Other  Events. 

Among  the  many  events,  municipal  or  otherwise,  which  have  occurred 
iiince  Somerville  became  a  city,  may  be  mentioned  the  semi-centennial 
celebration  of  1892,  described  elsewhere,  the  agitation  for  annexation  of 
;his  city  to  Boston,  the  movement  for  a  soldiers'  memorial  building,  and  the 
:onsideration  of  the  subject  of  more  parks  and  of  boulevards. 

Annexation. 

The  question  of  annexation  to  Boston  has  been  informally  considered 
and  discussed,  on  several  occasions,  by  the  citizens  of  Somerville,  so  far, 
without  definite  result.  In  1893  it  received  greater  attention  than  ever  be- 
fore. The  merging  into  and  becoming  an  important  factor  in  a  great 
metropolis  has,  to  some,  alluring  features,  and  those  who  favored  it  worked 
zealously  to  accomplish  the  measure ;  but  the  sentiment  of  the  city  has  not 
as  yet  seemed  favorable  to  its  achievement. 

Parks. 

The  subject  of  parks  and  boulevards  has  often  engrossed  the  attention 
of  the  citizens  and  city  government.  A  movement  to  preserve  that  vener- 
able structure,  the  Powder  House,  resulted  in  its  gift  to  the  city  with  a 
small  tract  around  it,  by  the  owners,  the  purchase  of  more  land,  and  the 
laying  out  of  the  grounds,  which  were  named  the  "  Nathan  Tufts  Park,"  in 
honor  of  the  former  owner,  whose  heirs  presented  it. 

The  foundation  for  another  park  has  been  laid  by  the  purchase  of  the 
"  Wyatt  pits "  estate  near  Washington  street,  which  probably  will  ere 
loi^g  gladden  the  denizens  of  that  section  with  its  lawns  and  walks.  In  189 1 
the  trustees  of  the  estate  of  J.  C.  Ayer  offered  a  tract  of  land  opposite  the 
Highlands  station,  on  the  Lexington  railroad,  for  park  purposes,  but  in  the 
unusual  agitations  and  troubles  of  that  year  the  matter  was  laid  over  by  the 
city  government  and  there  rests. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  1896,  another  park  was  proposed  on  the 
southerly  slope  of  Prospect  Hill  to  include  the  revolutionary  remains  and 
site  of  the  old  "  citadel."  The  suggestion  was  received  with  much  favor,  a 
public  meeting  was  held,  and  an  association  formed  to  further  the  project. 

No  more  appropriate  spot  could  be  found  for  a  memorial  building  to 
commemorate  the  services  and  sufferings  of  the  soldiers  of  two  wars,  the 
Revolution  and  the  Rebellion,  than  this,  their  old  camping-ground. 


64  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 


Tufts  College. 

The  desirability  of  a  denominational  institution  of  learning  had  been 
under  discussion  for  some  time  among  leading  Universalists  of  America ; 
but  the  first  step  taken  for  its  realization  was  by. the  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Saw- 
yer of  New  York  City,  now  of  Somerville. 

In  the  spring  of  1847  he  wrote  to  the  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  2d,  of  Med- 
ford,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  Whittemore  of  Cambridgeport,  in  relation  to  it, 
and  soon  after  issued  circulars,  calling  for  a  convention  in  New  York  on 
the  1 8th  of  May.  At  this  meeting  the  need  of  such  an  institution  was 
fully  considered  and  decided  upon,  and  a  board  of  fifteen  trustees  elected. 

The  Rev.  Otis  A.  Skinner  was  appointed  agent  to  solicit  funds,  the 
required  amount  being  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  was 
subscribed  before  the  close  of  1851. 

It  was  at  first  proposed  to  locate  the  College  in  New  York  State,  in 
either  the  Hudson  or  Mohawk  Valleys.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Oliver  Dean,  of 
Franklin,  Mass.,  who  afterward  founded  Dean  Academy,  by  offer  of  liberal 
endowment,  endeavored  to  secure  its  location  in  that  town. 

It  was  destined  to  overlook  none  of  the  fair  valleys  of  the  Hudson, 
Mohawk  or  Charles,  but  that  of  the  romantic  Mystic ;  for  the  liberal  offer  of 
Mr.  Charles  Tufts  of  Somerville,  of  twenty  acres  on  Walnut  Hill,  was  ac- 
cepted as  the  most  desirable  place,  from  its  view,  surroundings,  and  prox- 
imity to  a  great  metropolis.  Mr.  Tufts'  gift  of  twenty  acres  was  soon 
increased  to  one  hundred,  supplemented  by  an  additional  tract  of  twenty 
acres  from  Mr.  Timothy  Cotting  of  Medford. 

In  appreciation  of  Mr.  Tufts'  generous  gift,  the  College  was  given  his 
name.  Other  liberal  donations  were  also  received ;  among  the  most  prom- 
inent givers  were  Sylvanus  Packard,  Thomas  A.  Goddard,  and  Doctor 
William  J.  Walker.  Mr.  Packard's  gifts  and  bequests  amounted  to  between 
three  and  four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  Dr.  Walker's  to  about  two 
hundred  thousand. 

In  1 852  the  charter  for  the  college  was  obtained.  It  bears  the  signatures 
of  three  historic  names :  N.  P.  Banks,  Speaker  of  the  House ;  Henry  Wilson, 
President  of  the  Senate ;  and  George  S.  Boutwell,  Governor.  The  incorpo- 
rators were  B.  B.  Muzzey,  Timothy  Cotting,  and  Richard  Frothingham,  Jr. 
At  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  on  July  21,  1852,  Rev.  Thomas  J.  Sawyer  was 
unanimously  elected  president,  but  he  declined  the  office,  and  the  choice 
then  fell  on  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  2d,  who  retained  the  presidency  until  his 
death  in  1861. 

On  July  23,  1853,  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  building,  "  Ballou  Hall," 
was  laid.  The  day  was  beautiful ;  large  awnings  surmounted  with  Ameri- 
can flags  were  provided  for  the  ladies,  a  special  train  was  furnished  by  the 
Lowell  railroad,  and  between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thousand  persons 
were  present.  Among  the  exercises  was  a  hymn  written  by  Mrs.  N.  T. 
Munroe,  a  prominent  member  of  the  first  Universalist  Society  of  Somerville. 
Three  students  commenced  study  in  1854,  though  the  building  was  not 
completed  and  formally  opened  until  August  22,  1855. 


SOMERV/LLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT.  65 

The  attendance  upon  the  opening  exercises  was  large,  six  hundred  or 
more  arriving  by  special  train.  A  banquet  was  spread  for  nine  hundred 
guests,  among  whom  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tufts,  and  hundreds  were  turned 
away.  The  first  toast  given  was  to  their  most  honored  guest,  "  Charles 
Tufts,  the  venerable  founder  of  Tufts  College ;  may  the  fruition  of  his  proj- 
ect gladden  his  heart  through  all  his  earthly  journey,"  to  which  the  com- 
pany responded  by  rising  and  giving  cheers.  The  exercises  closed  with 
the  singing  of  "  From  all  that  dwell  below  the  skies." 

In  1862  Rev.  A.  A.  Miner  was  inaugurated  as  the  second  president 
and  successor  of  Mr.  Ballou,  deceased.  Dr.  Miner  held  the  office  twelve 
years,  resigning  in  December,  1874,  and  was  followed  in  March,  1875,  by 
Rev.  Elmer  H.  Capen,  its  present  president. 

Many  other  bequests  have  been  made  beside  the  ones  mentioned ;  those 
from  the  State,  from  P.  T.  Barnum,  and  from  the  estate  of  the  Honorable 
Charles  Robinson  being  the  most  important.  The  founder  of  this  institu- 
tion was  a  citizen  of  Somerville,  as  is  its  president  and  are  most  of  its  pro- 
fessors. Most  of  its  landed  possessions  are  also  here,  with  some  of  its 
buildings,  its  campus  and  its  principal  avenues  of  approach ;  and  thus  with 
Medford,  Somerville  shares  the  renown  of  this  "  First  Universalist  College 
in  the  World." 

Charles  Tufts  was  a  descendant  of  Peter  Tufts,  who  settled  in  Maiden 
previous  to  1638.  Mr.  Tufts  lived  on  the  northerly  side  of  Washington 
street,  west  of  the  Lowell  railroad,  which  his  property  adjoined ;  the  house 
is  still  standing. 

Old  Landmarks. 

Many  mementos  of  former  days  still  remain.  Our  hills  are  yet  here, 
though  from  most  have  disappeared  all  traces  of  their  revolutionary  occupa- 
tion. Until  within  a  few  years  remains  of  old  forts  and  breastworks  were 
visible;  those  on  the  Central  Hill  park  were  dug  away  in  1878  regardless  of 
protests ;  the  "  Fort "  on  this  park  is  modern,  and  was  built  in  1885.  It  has 
no  history  and  is  not  on  the  lines  of  the  revolutionary  works,  although  with- 
in their  enclosure.  The  cannon  in  it  were  used  in  the  defenses  of  Washing- 
ton during  the  Civil  War.  On  an  estate  on  the  opposite  side  of  Highland 
avenue  old  breastworks  were  still  in  existence  in  1892,  where  now  is  an 
apartment  house.  There  was  also  an  old  redoubt  on  the  top  of  a  ledgy 
knoll  near  Mystic  avenue,  commanding  a  long  reach  of  Mystic  River ;  a  few 
years  earlier,  a  little  higher  up  Winter  Hill  stood  another  redoubt,  since  dug 
down  in  excavating  the  ledge.  On  the  southerly  slope  of  Prospect  Hill 
revolutionary  traces  still  remain,  — tradition  says  they  were  the  old  tent-holes 
of  1775,  or  perhaps  of  the  Burgoyne  prisoners.  These  are  all  that  are  now 
left  in  the  city. 

There  are  many  houses  of  a  century  or  more  ago,  some  prerevolution- 
ary,  among  these  Mr.  Blaisdell's  on  Somerville  avenue,  where  Samuel  Tufts 
lived  in  1775,  and  which  was  later  General  Greene's  headquarters,  and  the 
Oliver  Tufts  house  on  Sycamore  street,  the  headquarters  of  General  Lee. 


66  SOMERVILLE,   PAST  AND  PRESENT. 

In  1 890  the  city  erected  tablets  on  many  historic  spots,  they  were  as 
follows :  — 

On  Abner  Blaisdell's  house,  Somerville  avenue :  "  Headquarters  of 
Brigr  dier-General  Nathaniel  Greene,  in  command  of  the  Rhode  Island 
Troops  during  siege  of  Boston.     1775-6." 

On  the  Oliver  Tufts  house.  Sycamore  street,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Flet- 
cher :  "  Headquarters  of  Major-General  Charles  Lee,  commanding  left  wing 
of  the  American  Army  during  the  siege  of  Boston.     1775-6." 

On  the  stonework  of  the  battery,  Central  Hill  park :  "  This  battery  was 
erected  by  the  city  in  1885,  and  is  within  the  lines  of  the  'French  Redoubt,' 
built  by  the  Revolutionary  Army  in  1775,  as  a  part  of  the  besieging  lines  of 
Boston.  —  The  guns  were  donated  by  Congress,  and  were  in  service  during 
the  late  Civil  War." 

On  Prospect  Hill :  "  On  this  Hill  the  Union  Flag,  with  its  Thirteen 
Stripes — the  Emblem  of  the  United  Colonies  —  First  bade  Defiance  to  an 
Enemy,  January  i,  1776.  —  Here  was  the  Citadel,  the  most  formidable  work 
in  the  American  Lines  during  the  siege  of  Boston  :  June  17,  1775,  ^o  March 
17,  1776." 

On  Elm  street,  corner  of  Willow  avenue :  "  A  sharp  fight  occurred  here, 
between  the  Patriots  and  the  British,  April  19,  1775.  —  This  marks  British 
Soldiers'  graves.' 

On  Washington  street,  corner  of  Dane  street :  "  John  Woolrich,  Indian 
trader,  built  near  this  place  in  1 630.  —  The  first  white  settler  on  Somerville 
soil." 

At  junction  Broadway  and  Main  street :  "  Paul  Revere  passed  over  this 
road,  in  his  midnight  ride  to  Lexington  and  Concord,  April  18,  1775.  —  Site 
of  the  '  Winter  Hill  Fort,'  a  stronghold  built  by  the  American  Forces  while 
besieging  Boston,  1775-6," 

On  Washington  street  opposite  Rossmore  street:  "On  this  Hillside 
James  Miller,  Minute-man,  aged  d^^  was  slain  by  the  British,  April  19,  1775. 
—  *  I  am  too  old  to  run.' " 

Though  required  improvements  may  sometimes  sweep  away  ancient 
monuments,  yet  those  interested  in  local  history  view  with  regret  the  often- 
times needless  destruction  of  landmarks  which  recall  so  vividly  the  story  of 
the  past. 


Nature  and  circumstance  have  given  Somerville  an  admirable  location. 
On  the  north  and  west  are  the  classic  halls  of  Tufts  and  of  Harvard ;  to  the 
south  and  east,  the  metropolis  and  the  heights  of  Bunker  Hill.  In  the  near 
valley  ebbs  and  flows  the  silent  Mystic.  In  their  midst  is  Somerville  "  on 
her  seven  hills,"  each  crowned  with  a  historic  halo,  and  from  each  extends 
a  beautiful  and  widening  landscape,  thick  with  villages  and  cities,  fading 
among  pleasant  hills  and  valleys  in  the  misty  distance. 


PRBSSOP 

CARL  H.  HBINTXBMANN,  BOSTON. 

1897- 


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